The Clear Cut Poem by JDC LeDrew

Though true, there once was a stand
Where you did lay down your head,
You will not find it here any longer.
Can you wait for thirty years?

I think it right that you remember
That it was much harder to walk the hill, then.
I think it right that you recall
The tall bushes that soaked your clothes,
The briars that wounded your hand
And left the red stain on your sleeve.

And it may be wise to ponder
That there was no grass beneath the firs.
That the acid from their needles left the deer no food.
And though the moss was pleasing
And long shadows soothed your soul,
I think it right that you remember
You cursed the nettle, beside the stream.

It may not be fair to place the blame
Now that the spawning bed is empty.
And those who choose the ways
See wisdom in this field...
Still you kneel by the pool
To rinse the taste of rape from your mouth.