Field trip (amphitheater): Poems

Sun shining
with-holding the wind.
Aftermath of last night's storm
still present.
Scooter's collapsed.
Nature's standing still.
Others respecting
the natural beauty.
Construction and music don't distract.

Clouds creeping over the hills.
A brighter beam
now hits my face.
The forecast was wrong:
no high winds this hour.

A solitary soul
in the field,
wrapped in a plaid blanket.
This weather won't stop her connection
with nature.

Green against the red rocks.
Here it's Christmas
every day.

----

Million strands of grass
Working
Growing
Creating
something beautiful.

We trample it,
never noticing
the beauty;
the miracle
we don't acknowledge.

Home to many,
appreciated by few.
"Don't pull the grass!"

I make a mud pie instead.

What Traveling Has Taught Me About Nature

Last November I participated in an Environmental Science lab which was a 4-day field trip to Catalina Island. We drove from Saint George, Utah to Long Beach, California. We visited the Aquarium of the Pacific and then boarded a ferry that took us to Catalina Island. The experiences there were amazing! I thought I was connected to nature before, but that trip changed everything for me. (A few of my earlier entries were about my time there.)

I gained a greater appreciation for the ocean and the animals that it is home to.

In February I was able to visit Arizona. I had previously lived there, so it was fun to go back. This is one of my favorite pictures of Arizona! It's on the border of Chandler, looking out towards Gilbert. The beautiful soil and cacti are some of my favorite parts of Arizona.

I honestly don't remember where this is, but it was taking while driving up to Salt Lake City. Utah's hills aren't as green as Alaska's but there is something about them that is absolutely beautiful!

For as long as I can remember I've loved capturing pictures of how the sun interacts with plants.

Diamond Valley has lots of good places to go hiking!

Everyone in Saint George knows about Dixie Rock and Pioneer Park. There are many beautiful hiking opportunities out there.

The Grand Canyon is close by, an easy day trip. The views don't disappoint!

My first time going to a beach was a few years ago, in Hawaii. My sister and I visited 6 or 7 beaches in less than a week. The crashing of the waves and excitement of the other people made us eager to get in the water and join them! My sister later decided to take surf lessons and enjoyed becoming a part of the ocean for a few hours.

The Dole Plantation was not only a fun "must-see" site; it also taught us a lot about how pineapples and other plants are grown. A tour of the plantation helped me to see how much effort goes into caring for each type of plant and the reward that comes with a plentiful crop (I'm not talking about the money, but the satisfaction that comes from hard work).

Nature's Beauty

This is the view from my room back home in Alaska. I have not been there since Christmas of 2017. I grew up with the views of mountains and greenery not far away. Moving to Saint George was a struggle at first, because this is what I left behind.

In the summer we would travel to Denali National Park, Wasilla, Anchorage, and other cities in the southern parts of Alaska. We would hike, hunt, fish, camp, enjoy time together, but most of all, we'd take the time to be one with nature.

I only went to Canada once. We lived about 6 hours from the Alaskan-Canadian border, near Dawson City. One weekend my dad and I left work early and camped near the border. The next morning we spent the day in Dawson City. We learned about the people there and their history. I rode a ferry for the first time. We spent a lot of time out in nature and learning about how to use the natural resources of the land.

This pond is less than a mile from our house. I don't know if it has a real name, but we call it Bathin' Beauty pond. In the summers we swim and canoe it. Some people come here to fish. During the winters we drive by and enjoy the beautiful sunsets. People ice fish here and, if they're adventurous enough, they snow-machine across it. A few Sasquatch sightings have been reported here.

This is near my parents' first home in Alaska. Although we live about 45 minutes away from there we tried to make it back every summer. We come to pick blueberries. The book "Blueberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey reminds of us this area. Sometimes we each bring a bucket and take the blueberries home to top our pancakes with. Other times we just eat the blueberries and make fun memories. Over the years we've introduced friends to this prime blueberry picking spot.

Although I will always hold Alaska dear in my heart I have learned to also appreciate the beauty of other places. Next up, a post about Arizona, Hawaii, and Utah!

Freewrite: Feb. 11, 2019

As the sun was going down I realized my energy was waning too. I sat overlooking St. George. The sun’s rays stretched across the mountains. As it sunk it became one with the earth, encompassing it in a hug. I sat and smelled the crisp air of night. The insects buzzed in my ear, but for once they weren’t a nuisance. Their simple presence was lulling and comforting. A native sound to the area, the chirps of cicadas, was comparable to the waves of the ocean. The naturality of the night was seared into my mind.

Reflection: Hike

Red Rocks: What Saint George is Known For

Pioneer Park sat uninhabited, except by the desert tortoises. I have ventured up there many times, but still have yet to see one of these beloved creatures. We have preserved all of this land for them and yet they hide in the shadows, away from us. We just want to pay our respects and marvel at their beauty. But that won’t happen today.

            I climb across the rocks and my friends follow. We wander through a cavern. A glimpse up shows a nest with a mother protecting it. We hear other birds making their way towards her. The rocks have carefully formed over the years, creating something beautiful and large in the sun, but terrifying at night, hidden from the outside world.

            We continue west, weaving our way through the rock structures. Wincing when we scrape ourselves, and exclaiming as we stand atop the rocks seeing different landscapes as we turn and face another direction. What is meant to be a beautiful sight is sometimes marred by takeout containers and cups still containing ice cream. It’s not the first time I’ve seen an Iceberg cup thrown on the desert’s floor. I remember hiking here last year and seeing a blueberry shake half melted, the cup laying on its side, the spoon sticking out, creating the perfect contrast to the red dirt. Yet a pain of guilt runs through me knowing that in other places I’ve traveled I left things behind, forgetting a plastic bag slipped out of my pocket or not wanting to carry something back. Now realizing how my mistake might bring misfortune to an inhabitant of the area, a tortoise not able to get the bag off or move whatever is left behind. Not just an obstruction of sight, but an addition to its homeland.

            I sit back and think. All of this beautiful land. Yet few come out and enjoy it. We drive past because we are too busy with our lives. Too busy to appreciate the natural beauty of the land, to watch the relationship between nature and animal. We move swiftly and with purpose, but to what avail?

            A lizard runs past my feet. I sit very still and wish that he comes back. I used to scream when I saw them, when I first moved to Arizona, but then they became my friends. I remember the first lizard I saw when I moved to Saint George. I had been here just a few days and had not made any friends yet. But as I was backing out of the driveway a glimpse in my side mirror revealed a small scale-y friend. I stopped. I rolled down my window and kindly asked him to move, so that I could get about my errands without hurting him. I kept talking to him, about the day and my plans, after a while he complied to my request. I thanked him and went on my way. Nearly two years later and I still remember him. I wonder if this lizard up in the red rocks is related to him. Probably not, but my appreciation remains. I look and see another lizard run across the dirt, chasing nothing, at least not visible to my eyes.

            I breathe in the desert air and thank God that I live in such a beautiful place. I may not appreciate the view as much during the hot summers, but I want to get back out there soon. Being at one with nature brings my mind to rest. For just a little while I forget about all the things on my to-do list and I watch as the birds and lizards live in the red rocks above Saint George.

HW: Mary Oliver

How would you describe the speaker's attitude toward nature? In other words, what is nature to the speaker? In Mary Oliver’s poem “Truro, the Blueberry Fields” she writes about nature as if it is an escape. She describes the sparrows song as simple and seems to envious as she writes “oh, to hear him within the enclosure of nothing else!” while she describes her own life with words like “desperate, quickly, commotion” (24) In the poem “North Country”, Mary Oliver writes about nature as a celebration. She compliments the seasons and the different elements they provide to the soul.

Could you make the argument that this is "female writing"? What makes the poems an expression of female writing? Female writing contrasts from male writing in a few ways. Female writing is different from male writing in the way that it includes more delicate descriptions, comparisons and compliments. Where as a male tone might assert more direct observations. Mary Oliver’s writing can be classified as “female writing” and this can be exemplified in her poem “North Country” where she uses description that appeal to delicate senses such as “smoothly, shiver nicely, gorgeous, dappled” (3).

What does poetry express that prose writing, especially nonfiction essays, do not express? What, in turn, do these nature poems not express? Prose writing and essays seems to require an explanation. Poetry takes advantage of a format that allows observations and claims to stated as they are perceived, requiring no further justification. In turn, poems may not always express specific notions and might sometimes lack clarity. However, a lack of clarity can be well-regarded by the audience as it leaves the content of the poem open to interpretation. This interpretation left up to the audience is convey in Oliver’s poem “Many Miles” because she addresses the poems ambiguity with ‘To each of us comes the body gift” which will mean something unique to each reader and which is meant to apply to each group mentioned in the poem differently.

HW: Barbara Kingsolver's "Flight Behavior"

A few of the novel's primary concerns are: whether Dellarobia should support the logging business (her husband's job) or the butterflies (something that she's passionate about), the community is also concerned about the logging business, the community members distrust Ovid and the students.

Some values that the novel embrace are: being neighborly (classic small town that knows everyone's business), religious, conservative, and patriarchal.

This novel illustrates the concerns of community members vividly as it discusses distrust towards educated people (such as Ovid and the students) and it shows the town members expressing disdain and concern that environmentalists want to control their land.

Several people change throughout this novel. Throughout this novel faith and science are seen battling head to head. This causes many of the characters to look at their lives and try to determine what really matters, some taking just a brief glimpse while others take the time to evaluate their life goals. One of the biggest transformations is seen in Dellarobia as she recognizes that she wants to get an education and pursue higher dreams, in the end changing the entire dynamic of her marriage and her family. 

Ecocomposition and Self-reflection: Overlooking the City

A reflection of the same area, with positive and negative views.

Looking out, watching the city. The city is just waking up. No one can tell I’m here, right below the illuminated Dixie rock. The red rock sits still and beautiful. It doesn’t glisten like a diamond, but it stands strong, obviously meant for some big purpose. I stumble across a rock that seems out of place. Princess Ariel has misplaced her ocean rock, somehow it has found its way to southern Utah. I lay upon it as a mermaid sticking her head out of the ocean would. I chuckle with delight. As I look around I realize that the plants, small and large, wave in the wind. Its as though they wish all travelers a safe passage.

Exploration is all around. Every direction I turn I find something new. Climbing the different rock structures makes me feel like I’m an explorer. I sit atop and look in all directions. Red rock and a gentle breeze entice me to leave the city behind. I take a sip of water and abide by nature’s wish. Scaling the rocks has never been my forte, but these rocks want you to climb them, to experience being at one with nature. I do my best to let other thoughts leave my mind and enjoy this simple pleasure. I look around for wildlife but see none. After venturing here often I hear a group of birds in one of the dark taverns. One of them comes to say hello. What an interesting start to the day!

I embark on a trudging journey in the wee hours of the morning. Thank heavens it’s not summer yet or I would have died of heatstroke. Apparently a misplaced water bottle while hiking is not a good idea. The idea of an early morning hike had initially been pleasing. However, it was awful. The brisk air hitting the face and the lack of animal life made it lonesome. Usually the rock has a few adventurers early in the morning, but I suppose others received a memo to stay home because Mother Nature was not feeling particularly kind that day. I don’t know why I didn’t receive the message.

Upon arrival the rock looked more menacing than normal. And yet it beckoned me. Of course, it being Saturday morning meant I had to walk through wrappers and trash left by party-goers from the night before. Luckily it was just some Iceberg cups and spoons this time. As I started to climb, my hand started to itch. I didn’t pay attention to it. I walked across the top of a boulder, only tripping once, and made it to the bridge. How this bridge stays intact with how much foot traffic it gets I’ll never know, I thought to myself as I crossed it. Looking out over the city is usually a beautiful city, after looking past the air and light pollution, of course. That day it was all I could notice, although it wasn’t more than normal. After climbing down I wandered over to other rock structures. Usually a scrape or two comes when I visit Dixie Rock, but others are not so lucky. Gashes and bruises are common when climbing at Dixie Rock.

I have gone out to Dixie Rock several times since moving here; it is one of my ‘happy’ places. Sometimes I go there to think but other times I go out there with friends. I notice the good and the bad while I am out there. This was an interesting project because it did help me to think about what else was out there, to consider more how the animals feel and react to humans visiting their territory.

My word choice was interesting. I was not sure what approach I was going to take. However, techniques I have learned in my creative writing class came in handy. I was able to portray a true story from differing perspectives, which I think can be really powerful.

I had previously done a report on the reserve for the tortoises housed by Dixie Rock, which was purely scientific. My first hike there was simply to gather information and pictures. While there my friend saw a cup from Iceberg lying on its side. Half of a blueberry milkshake was still inside, another portion had oozed out and become one with the desert floor. He snapped a photo of it. That photo has stuck with me ever since and has influenced me to always care about nature and to not invade spaces that are set aside for the animals and to respect all living creature, no matter how small.

I think that it is interesting how my sentence structures differ. In the positive portion I have short, concise thoughts and sentences, but for the negative my sentences are longer and more drawn out. I think that, generally, happiness can be portrayed effectively with few words but negativity and sadness may need more description for the reader to understand the emotion that the writer is trying to convey.

HW: Thoreau

In Walden: or, Life in the Woods Thoreau illustrates many beautiful scenes, but also depicts acts that seem terrible. He wrote of a fight between some ants. His imagery is vivid, almost equal to action movies and war documentaries. He wrote "the black soldier had severed the heads of his foes from their bodies" which made me think about humanity, or in this case some inhumanity. In the margins I wrote "more humane to kill them?". I felt empathy for these ants. Thoreau is known for writing about nature and illustrating how nature is more humane than humans are. This was an interesting realization, that this ant battle could be scene as a mirror to society, that the black soldier could be seen as humans that hunt animals.

Freewrite: Tohono Oodham

I thought the chapter on the Papago Indians was interesting because of how it was presented. At the beginning when the history of the people was explored it helped me to have a better understanding of why they did things a certain way. It also helped me to better understand what a myth is and its purpose(s). In the actual stories I found it interesting how the first few stories relate so closely to the creation of the Earth, the account found in the Bible in Genesis. The story about Corn was something I'd never heard before. Upon thinking about it I think there are many lessons that can be learned from it. One being that you must recognize your talents and abilities and use them to help not only yourself but others as well.

Community Engagement 1: Clean Air Forum

I attended the Clean Air Forum hosted in the Udvar Hazy Building. It was an interesting experience. The presentations were informational and engaging. A lot of questions from the audience provoked deeper thoughts and even more questions.

            I went into it excited to learn more about protecting our planet. For the most part that feeling stayed. However, this forum didn’t necessarily discuss multiple things that we can do to be nicer to our planet. It focused on the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (more on that in a later paragraph). Rather than working together as a community to talk about simple solutions that we can start acting on now this forum provided information about a legislation that has been years in the making and may still be a while before it is approved and put into action.

            This clean air forum had a lot of great information, focusing on how to move towards cleaner air energy, with an emphasis on how solve this with legislation. One of the presenters gave three suggestions on how Utah can help: (1) reducing greenhouse emissions, (2) improving air quality, and (3) producing an economy that works for everyone. A solution for #2 would be to educate the citizens on how to improve the local air quality. This forum hoped to encourage the St. George locals to move to clean solar energy, create energy independence, lower the costs of energy, and to provide an excellent quality of life.

            The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act has five key benefits: (1) effectiveness, (2) good for the people because it would bring money to people’s pockets every month, (3) good for the economy because it would create jobs, (4) revenue neutral, (5) bipartisan. Basically, there would be a carbon fee of about $15/ton; the fee would rise $10 every year, until 2050. The following year that money would be distributed back to the people, starting at $20/person. This would affect imports and exports, making the United States equal to other countries. www.energyinnovationact.org also provides great information about this act.

            I learned a lot from the experience. My family uses to coal to heat our home, because my father is a foreman at a powerplant that is heated by coal. Although I understand that many people do not support the use of coal, because of the air that it emits, the smell, and for other reasons, I still support the use of this fossil fuel. Now this likely seems contradictory, especially since I am in this class. However, I have come to this conclusion for myself, after research and hearing both negative and positive effects that coal can have on the environment. I believe that there is no one ‘right’ way to treat the environment and to live. There are, of course, other ways to heat a home and town than with coal; I support those ideas. However, I don’t think that we should stop using coal altogether. It is there for a purpose, so we should use it. Perhaps going towards using it sparingly and implementing the use of other methods would be a step forward, though.

Poem: Answers

Things hidden in the night,
the evil is spoken of, but the good forgotten.
Treasures await those who look.

A quiet plea,
a whisper in the night,
"Lord, show me a masterpiece," he pleads.

Time to reflect,
forgetting life's worries
and duties.

Simply sitting -
Listening.
Breathing.

Trying to learn nature's story.

Within these moments -
forgetting himself
and channeling a connection
to nature.

He finds answers.

Finally realizing that
Life is much grander
than himself.

Freewrite: A Night in Nature

The dark creeps in, and my innermost thoughts come to light. Responsibilities and plans are paused. My dreams and wishes come to life. Now I can decide if they will become reality. I think of the future. Then I let the calmness of night and of nature envelope me. Everything is forgotten for a moment.

Poem: Tree

Bristles hit my arm,
needles fall all around me.
I admire this tree.

HW: N. Scott Momaday's Poem 'Sun Dance Shield'

Nature shields us from the world.

There are 5 stanzas. The first 4 each containing 3 lines; the first line starting with "Mine is a" and the second and third lines starting with "there is".

Throughout the poem Momaday personifies this shield. He uses emotions to showcase emotion, nature, mind, and memory.

Through this poem he intertwines nature and the shield. This story tells how his shield is a part of him, how it embodies his emotions and nature.

He ends by saying that his life "is in this shield".