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They say that nature is red in tooth and claw.  Here is Ronin Waters’s take on it.

Red

Those who think Nature is a lady
Misunderstand her.
Those who think her graceful
Have been deceived.

Nature is not gentle
She is not kind
Or warm
She is nobody’s lover.

See that grasshopper there
There is a parasite
Eating it from the inside out
And that, headless vole.
Where did its head go?

There are vines strangling
That noble old eucalypt.
And insects crawling in the heart
Wood of that beautiful white oak.

No, nature does not favour
Not a single one
Not even I
I am her daughter.

She has taught me
The ways of the world
And I have scars to show
Her tough love.

And you
Man: I have tried to love you.
I have loved you in the only way I know how.

Haven’t I fed you?
Haven’t I given you warmth?
Haven’t I protected you from the storm
And guided you when you were lost?

You say that I am oblivious
But oblivious is you wading through
That Poison Ivy, arms in the air
Or reaching out to stroke
The soft down on a stinging nettle.

The way you reached out to me.

Wasn’t it better
When our friendship was new?
You respected me then
Before you thought I could be tamed

Now you said you loved me.
No.  Your hands are too rough by miles
Look at what you have done
Where is the tiger?
Where is the dove?

Do not blame me if you try to catch me
If you try to hold me
And find my little teeth
Like pearls in your hand

If this is love, I want no part
Do not blame me if I flinch
I have been taught the ways of the world
And I have scars to prove it.

~Ronin Waters

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