Original DDE™ art: “In Outn Hands” — by: rob kistner © 3/14/26.
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the forested cliffs
of the coastal northwest
rise proudly
above the powerful pacific—
massive
in their patience
ancient forests
breathing rejuvenating mist
scented with cedar
with sea salt
and rich moss
the ocean whispers
a restless
sacred hymn—
where pearl-frothed
sterling waves
comb basalt shores—
coastal sands
in ages past
we arrived
wearing a thin facade
of false certainty
now this wilderness—
all wilderness
slips beneath it
a quiet strip of doubt
opening in nature’s mind
the mountains
awaken a deeper curiosity—
stirring a tender hope
that something in us
might still listen
that the vulnerable peoples
of this planet’s
fragile ecosystem
might still hear
the lakes and rivers
feel our scalding sting
of long unchecked industry
the salmon of the northwest
flash like frail prayers upstream
as the toxic threat
streams their way
as does our reckless assault
pose critical danger
for the world’s wildlife
for all the living breathing wonders
that are the natural world—
we as well
gathered perilously
in that living fold
we — who must be mindful
stand torn
between reverence—
and appetite
between awe—
and the bitter flaw
of forgetting
one day
the truth will hit us plainly—
the truth will hit us brutally hard—
we may not survive the blow
the earth will revive
to endure—
rain…
wind…
stone…
the tides
they will recover—
they will go on…
while our own bright chapter
may fade
these forests…
these waters…
these winds,,,
ask only this—
that we remember—
remember the beauty
that raised us
before our blindness
becomes extinction
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rob kistner © 03/14/26