Neighbors
by Jo Elizabeth Pinto
We are neighbors with the dolphins
As they dance atop the waves
And then drown among the tangles
Of the wicked fishing nets.
We are neighbors with the eagles
As they soar among the clouds
And then eat the farmers’ poison
And drop heavy from the sky.
We are neighbors with the elephants
As they thunder on the plains
And then fall like mighty mountains
When the hunters shoot them down.
We are neighbors with the forests
As they strong and ancient stand
And then topple in an instant
With the biting of the axe.
We are neighbors on this planet
Yet refuse to give a damn
And our lives will ring so lonely
When our neighbors move away.
This piece appears in my newly released book of nature poetry, “Dancing with the Seasons: A Year in Simple Verse.” The book is available in paperback and ebook formats on Amazon.
Bio
Jo Elizabeth Pinto was among the first blind students to integrate the public schools in the 1970’s when federal laws allowed disabled students to be educated with their peers. In 1992, she received a degree in Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado. While teaching disabled students how to use adaptive technology, she earned a second degree in 2004 from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in Nonprofit Management. She freelances these days as an editor and a braille proofreader.
As an author, Pinto entertains her readers while giving them food for thought. In her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, she draws on personal experience to illustrate that hope is always an action away.
Pinto lives in Colorado with her husband and their teenage daughter. Their family also includes Pinto’s guide dog Spreckles, a poodle/Maltese mix called Leo, and an aging family cat who answers to the name Sam-I-Am when he feels like it.
robbiesinspiration
November 3, 2022This poem really is beautiful.
Patty Fletcher
November 4, 2022Hi Robbie, thanks so much for reading and for letting me know you enjoyed it.
I’m always pleased when you drop by.