A Raven Writes

Today, the Marshians made some things.

We made a path.
There is surprising power in feet, and in walking. One-by-one and two-by-two, we walked a new path into existence. In the morning there was marsh, and by lunch time, there was a path through it. It was like a magic trick.

We made a forest.
Or at least, the start of one. We gathered cardboard – plucked from our recycling bins, scavenged from shop-fronts, old bags of chickenfeed and boxes from all those convenient deliveries, and laid them out on our new path like a red carpet. And then, the stars arrived: dozens and dozens of crack-willow twigs, freshly cut from their parent-trees, who waved to us approvingly from across the reeds. We thrust these nascent trees through the cardboard carpet and into the mire beneath, hopeful they would find the ground to their liking. Soon we could look up and down the path and see a knee-high stand of baby willows, a withy-nursery, and whisper a prayer to Providence that at least some of them would make it, to become shade, shelter, habitat, screen, and beaver-food. The future is always uncertain, but we can nudge it in a particular direction. We started an experiment, and made a difference.

We made lots of other things, too. We made memories, films, and footprints. We made friends, and connections. We made time, and invested it.

Humans are creators, builders, explorers. “Engineer” comes from the word “ingenious” – to be clever, original, and inventive. Agency – “the ability to take action” – is the antidote to anxiety, I’m sure of it. We are all creators, make-believers, and the best things are the things we make together. So take action. Make something. Be Marshian.

A guest post by Raven Wilderness.