ONE CHILD TO MANY

There is a river that runs from the mountains
That one river is all rivers
All rivers are that one

There is a tree that stands in the forest
That one tree is all forests
All trees are that one

There is a flower that blooms in the desert
That one blossom is all flowers
All flowers are that one

There is a bird that sings in the jungle
That one song is all music
All songs are that one

It is the song of life
It is the flower of faith
It is the tree of temptation
It is the river of no regret

There is a child that cries in the ghetto
That one child is all children
All children are that one

These verses are from a longer piece that I posted earlier and they tie into something that I’ve been trying to figure out how to say for a long time. I will concede that we need to cut trees, plow under flowers, dam some rivers, destroy wild life habitat and there will always be members of our society that get the short end of the stick.

But when do we say “enough?” Once we decide to build dams on rivers, when do we dam one river to many? If it's ok to dam a river on the other side of the state, what's so special about the one I live on. If we decide to turn forests into fields, when is it one forest too many? If it's ok to clearcut the woods in the next county what is so special about the trees near my city? If we’re going to build houses where flowers once grew, when have we destroyed one field to many? If the folks in the next town are losing their open spaces what makes the fields near me so special? How many children have to live with too little before we decide that not all the costs can be put on a balance sheet?