Taxonomy - May 11 2025

 

Taxonomy

May 11 2025

I used to go out into the world

keen to master the names

identify trees

add to my tally of birds.

Out in the world

but incurious,

more actuarial

than actually present.

Now, I wonder why.

What purpose was there

in this meticulous keeping track?

After all, the names we give

are mere embellishment,

the scorecard of sightings

an act of pride.

So I no longer care for taxonomy,

have dispensed with the Latin

and unlearned the ranks

of species, genus, and class.

Have allowed the living things that surround me

to be in and of themselves.

I’ve learned that if I sit soundlessly

and keep still

I become invisible.

That nature will go about her business

as if I weren’t a threat;

letting me in,

even if

a little warily.

So I straighten up

set my paddle down

and let the canoe drift,

watching and listening

and being as present

as my monkey mind allows.

Riding the current like driftwood

I eye the shore

strain my ears

and train my nose to smell,

unschooled

as human smell is.

And if I’m patient enough

to give it time,

I will feel my boundaries soften

sense of self unwind.