Poem

Could It Be

Why don’t the words come When they came so readily before? Beauty, the stu of poetry, is still here The birds call and squabble at the feeders The flowers bloom and go to seed The wind whispers in the tree And the fog lounges lazily on the distant ridge As the sun creeps shyly through the eastern clouds.

The fence is down Toppled by the bear in search of ripe, abundant plums and berries the squirrel sits brazenly outside my window Munching on the treat I knew he’d love. So where are the words of contentment and delight?

Could it be that the world is upside down That we have lost our foothold And twirl in a vortex of imprecision, doubt, and fear That everything is normal and so abnormal That nature is a balm, Helpful, but not su cient? Could it be that human contact is not enough And touch is missing and essential

Could it be that we are not invincible, omnipotent, supreme Nor a little lower than the angels Meant to dominate the earth and all that dwells therein? Could it be a time of reckoning and change and turmoil Leading to new and better ways of thinking and being Could it be that poetry will sing again?

— Jean Munsee

to the Redwood National Parks.

I drove north to investigate. My sculpture was discretely placed and I was pleased. However, I soon became a trapped tourist at this “tourist trap!” I was not alone. John Thompson, the owner of the center, informed me that as many as 400,000 tourists visit annually! Here’s why: Beyond Paul Bunyan who guards the parking lot, there is a tastefully arranged gift shop representing skilled, local artisans; there’s a neat co ee shop, a sky-ride into the redwoods and the best rest rooms west of wherever. There’s more:

Adjacent to the center, eager travelers from most states and many nations have free access to a first-rate Native American museum. Enjoy this little museum while you may because this and others may be forced to remand treasured artifacts to the represented tribes, though they have absolutely no connection to the desecration of graves (“They Can’t Breathe,” May 20). Obviously, if burial relics are there, they belong with the tribes. However, other treasures at the center are open to the tribes. And — as with all great art, the redwoods and the rivers — they belong to all of us.

John Wiebe, Trinidad

‘To Heart’

Editor:

If one good thing came out of the soul-searing decision on the Terra-Gen wind project, it was that consulting early and often with Humboldt’s smart and finicky public can make or break a development. Nordic Aquafarms appears to have taken this to heart last week when it voluntarily opted to pursue a full environmental impact statement in its quest for a fish factory.

Alas, instead of asking for our humble opinions, the city of Eureka is proceeding with a new wastewater treatment facility with zero public input. Its plan would permanently allow sewage outfall in Humboldt Bay instead of extending the current outfall into the ocean.

Part of Eureka’s plan wedges in an “interpretative center.” That includes laying trails and providing signs, and, for those fortunate to have boats, a boat launch. The “interpretive” plan estimated cost is $4.2 million, to be paid for in new rates for Eureka and Humboldt Community Services District ratepayers.

The plan also contains a grant-funded Elk River wetlands restoration project.

Leaving the outfall into the bay could be i y, what with warming water and all the chaos that a warming planet is bringing. But, we don’t know because Eureka’s going straight to the state for approval. No one knows if there’s a better, more e cient, or less-expensive path to improving the yucky old wastewater system because Eureka never bothered to consult with its smart and finicky citizenry.

Eureka intends for its development to be approved by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in August. Enviros are asking the state for at least one public workshop to vet Eureka’s plan, but the city has apparently not learned Terra-Gen Lesson No. 1.

J.A. Savage, Eureka

On Memorial Day

Editor:

This Memorial Day we remember all who have died in war and understand that no one wins in war. Many of us have been personally touched by war. But we must also extend that mourning. We must remember the civilian victims, and their families, who are all equally human beings. Honoring and remembering some deaths while ignoring others not only perpetuates war, but also ignores the moral injuries of war, which some now recognize as a significant cause of veteran suicide.

For the coordinating committee of Humboldt Bay Chapter 56 of Veterans for Peace, our message for Memorial Day is to remember all who have died in war and to understand that no one wins. We understand that those who fight the wars gain the least from them and those who send us to war gain the most from war. There are many people who either profit from war or are misled by war mongers and profiteers. These are the people who seek to block our message to question war and to work for peace.

Peter Aronson, Eureka

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