Ethics, Values, & Sustainability
Environmental Strategy & Sustainability
Systems Thinking & Sustainable Businesses
Last Updated 01/14/2006
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GROUP 2
Never enough, I tread on against the grain
But refuse to become smooth against the sanding block.
Tired and rough, the hours in the day are not sufficient defense
Against mortality – the most demanding clock.
Denied liberty, the day: a metaphor for work,
And the night: an allusion to a long forgotten sea.
In my misery, oh that I might melt away
Into the dawn sky and believe forever more that it was only a dream.
John Szcygiel
A Glimpse of the Future
Kneading the wet sand with her toes
she knows…
That the particles beneath her are years older
than even her oldest ancestor.
The sky above has watched them all
the particles that were once stones and shells
and the ancestors that were once particles.
Kneading the wet sand with her toes
she knows…
That the world is aging
she and her ancestors have aged this world fast
That she will someday be the distant ancestor
of a little girl who will not be able to knead sand with her toes
she and her ancestors have aged this world fast
Kneading the wet sand with her toes…
she knows …
Chelsey Wolfgram
One day I walked up this road thinking happily of the future
The days of youthful optimism still upon me
It never crossed my mind that things could ever change
That day would turn to night
And night to another day
It never crossed my mind quite then
that this path would change
That this road I knew so well would make me lose my way
The gentle slopes would rise to hills
And very soon to mountains
That I would fear I’d lost my way
Never to return
But clime the mountains I have done
And return home I have
Only to embark again on yet another adventure
And so back to the road I head
I know not where it takes me
But the beauty of this world
Is what you may discover
When you stray from the path
To see what the world has to offer
Lisa Ashenbrenner
My eyes are stars
That hold my dreams
Shining bright
With hope for the future
Sharon Tiedt
Shadows dancing along the ground
Dew damp leaves rustled by the wind
Winding floating figures
Careless and free.
Their moisture glistening in the sun
Holding hope,
Holding my dreams.
Sharon Tiedt
I sit by the lake
There is no wind present,
The water looks like a mirror.
Reflections of trees line the water.
Memories of last summer still strong in my mind
A call from a loon, the rustle from a deer.
An eagle flies over as I sit on the pier.
James Harrod
Infinite stars in the sky,
Infinite wisdom in the heart
Infinite possibility in the mind
Alex Grace
I am the tree of life
My DNA my roots
My thoughts and dreams my branches
"I am the tree of life"
In the forest of life I live and grow
Birds fly by, dropping new neighbors
New friends, more life.
Side by side we stand
We the trees of life.
Abby Sawyers
I am torn
Waiting or running
Dreaming or doing
Living or dying
Caring, or just walking by
Abby Sawyers
Find me a bookmark
So I can mark the page
When mankind lost its memory
Its faith in its own tracking mynd
And began to trust lettered lines
Sarah Edwards
A few ideas in freshly printed books
Flux from those pages into our actions
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
It has inner light, even from a distance –
And changes us, even if we do not reach it,
Into something else, which, we always knew we ought to be;
Conversations and fear of failure push us on,
And we know to see our world through any lens
Any lens that doesn’t distort its beauty
But doesn’t let us forget its loss
Sarah Edwards
Live close to the earth
Where ever that may be
Keep yourself honest
Set yourself free
Be open to change
Challenge routines
Take some risks
Live your dreams
Amelia Musser
Two pebbles, one smooth, one jagged
Both old, tried and tested.
They have seen the ice,
The rain,
And felt the high sun on a summer day.
Jagged, rigid and sharp.
Broken but not beat.
Round, smooth and dull
A thick weathered coat covers the etchings of time
Each has a story
And tells that story in a different way.
Pebbles do not speak, but I can hear.
Matt Beaton
All that is gold does not glitter
Nor is all that looks beautiful pure at heart.
All that is cold is not bitter
Nor do all downtrodden play the part
Brynna Larsen
To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children,
Live wisely, passionately, and light-heartedly.
To win the respect of the oppressed
And the affection of the weak,
Live compassionately, gracefully, and modestly.
To win the respect of the winds
And the affection of the spirits,
Live simply, brightly and vibrantly.
Above all, live fully and live intensely
And all that is life will be as it should.
Brynna Larsen
History guides us
But keeps many secrets
Like discarded weapons
Covered by summer grass
Where warriors used to dream
John Szcygiel
Winter is coming
Nothing I could do about it
Days shorter, nights longer
Earth covered in white
Northern wind rushes through the streets
The chill paralyzes my senses
I saw the sunlight for the first time
Birds are singing joyfully
The white background is starting to fill with color again
Southern wind gently flows through me
Lifting my spirit
Spring is coming
Ryu Suzuki
