The best time to plant a fruit tree is 20 years ago.
The next best time is now.
Temporary land use permits do not honour the heritage orchards
that have fed communites for generations.
Somehow my feelings are brewing.
Ungluing from the seams of a community dream.
This is where I grew up, in Lantzville and on its border in Nanaimo.
We need incentives to bring our family relations home
instead of exporting them to the big cities for their seeking of lively community.
We need to get us grounded in this land,
planting seeds and trees to help us understand
where we come from and where we are ultimately going.
Us, Lantzville-Nanaimo folk, who grew up around here.
We have not often been taught to feed ourselves,
Instead, we’ve been sent to scrounge on preservative-infested superstore grocery shelves.
Me and my brothers are camping out in Victoria
trying to brew up a plan to come back to this land.
To lend a helping hand to plant some good seeds of intention
to utter mention
of the uncompromising ties that link us to earth and sky.
We are looking for some signs of encouragement to come back to this home town
and create a lifestyle that respects our earthly relations.
The original people of this land, the Nanoose First Nation,
may often believe we are temporary use abusers,
with our temporary use disposable lifestyles.
If we want to live here as if we were here to stay for a proverbial seven generations time,
then let’s get closer to the ground,
bend down,
quit clowing around
and come up with a sound
inspiring bylawful decree
that feeds the soil of this agriculturally craved municipality.
Otherwise our temporary use permit to live and survive on this piece of the planet will expire
in a dire, uninspiring, and ugly way.
