Don’t tame the wild ones,

the ones who want to grow outside of the preordained box,

branching out fiercely without considering others’ need for them

to fit into small spaces.

 

The wild ones don’t need to be cut short

and holed up within the boundaries

of a picket white fence,

awaiting the day they grow too old

and wither and wrinkle and brown.

 

They never dreamed of having walls—

this idea was thrust upon them.

A wild mind, born free, wouldn’t create such partitions.

 

What kind of sustainable life

is lived within the boundaries of 

monotony,

colored in modern tones of white and black and grey?

 

The wild ones were made to feel the wind rustling 

through their blades, their extremities,

as they bend back and forth

to the music of the free bird’s song.

 

Don’t tame the wild ones

just because they look unkempt.

They weren’t meant to be contained

or pretty

or docile.

So don’t try to cage them, or

own them, or

prune them to your liking.

 

Embrace their overgrowth,

the mess,

encroaching on the space.

Embrace the budding life

springing from the yard.

 

Don’t tame the wild ones.

The grass and weeds were

meant to grow unheeded

And native to the soil.

 

They are signs of a healthy earth,

a smaller water footprint, and

a smaller carbon footprint.

 

Don’t tame the wild ones

Because we so desperately

need them

here. 

 

~

The American lawn is an unsustainable tradition we’ve been scrambling to maintain for years and years.

Pruning and planting exotic plants (such as grass) that are are not generally suited to naturally thrive in the environment in which they were planted increases the water footprint, or the need for watering in excess of what the natural environment provides. Exotic plants also increase the need for upkeep.

Leaving a yard natural and unkempt helps to decrease water and carbon footprints as the native plants thrive in their natural climates with little to no upkeep, and we avoid shipping plants from far-off lands.

So this spring, let your lawn fill with natural abundance.