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When I think of my Florida wild heritage
I never think of "my" as ownership
I was born here
but the wild owes me nothing
while I owe it
a tremendous amount of respect
I do not hold that others
believe as I do
But the fish
the gator
the bird
and the deer
are so precious
I would never contemplate
intentionally harassing them
beyond moving through their space
with a camera
and occasionally
a well-behaved dog
Would I hunt or fish the wild?
Of course, if I had to
for food or clothing
But only for such necessities
Not for sport or recreation
even if -- as an after-thought --
I ate or made other use of my spoils
such as boots or belts
Thank goodness there is meat
in the deli section of my grocer
so I don't have to look my prey in the eye
Would it be more ethical for me
to not devour animals that --
with a central nervous system
feel pain
and go strictly vegetarian?
Yes
I gave it a shot for two years in the '80s
then, perhaps a bit addicted to meat
back-slid to my carnivore ways
parking in the rear of KFC
and wearing my hat low
so none of my veggie friends
would see me
And holding back on a
"Hi honey!" kiss
for fear my significant other
would smell fried chicken on my breath
and know I caved
I justified my return to insanity
by suggesting that plants
may also feel pain
So why be guilty of speciesm?
Hmm...good logic?
Or a good attempt to justify lazy thinking?
Stay tuned for a second attempt
if I can successfully make it
through carnivore rehab
Do I pass my slippery judgement
of gentle interaction on to others?
No
It's difficult to puff-up one's chest
when the soul in the mirror
has enough trouble fighting self-hypocrisy
A gentle impact
That is my daily goal
But I find it nearly impossible
I'm one of seven billion uprighters
born into "my" own space
and knowing it comes at a cost
for all the other uprighters
swimmers
crawlers
hoofers
and flyers
Sometimes I think my real heritage
is the responsibility
that comes with being human
knowing that self-improvement
is worthy of a life-long commitment
and that gentle impacts
are not perfect impacts
but they keep the soul
from becoming lazy

Location: Corkscrew Swamp

Location: Fisheating Creek

Location: Hawthorne Creek, Nocatee

Location: Fisheating Creek