Stop Line 3: Part 5
They took the Tree Sitter down today. They marched fast
down the easement, 23 law enforcement bunched together
like a school of fish. As they passed through the protest line
they ended up single file crunching and slipping through
the new snow off the side of the road. Law Enforcement Leader
shouted, “Circle the tree! Circle the tree! Make a perimeter
with your backs to the tree!” And I thought to myself,
They spent three hours discussing their show-of-force entrance
and forgot to tell themselves what to do once they got there.
The People made a bigger circle facing inward, singing,
drumming, chanting, shouting truth. Courageous ones
ran forward and accepted being swarmed by hornets,
lay face down in the snow, held tightly to their resistance.
The deputy who tumbled over the willow brush chasing
the small woman will no doubt buy the beers tonight.
The cherry picker rolled up and lifted Someone Official
to the poplar’s high branches and carefully, mindfully,
the fine-boned bearded Tree Sitter came back to earth. He did
what he could. Now it was his turn to sleep indoors once again.
Law Enforcement Leader loudly announced, “Move out, guys!
They’re cutting the trees! Move out!” and they took three steps
toward us and we took three steps toward them and one deputy
got a phone call and I heard him give an update to the other end.
They cut the poplar first. The backhoe helped it down.
It crashed and shattered. It was in the way and had to go.
All of us are in the way. We have to go. We slow progress.
We are unanticipated. We turn and flow like rivers.
We must be redirected. Our feet dance in circles.
Their machines slash numbered lines. We surround the trees.
We surround the trees. We surround the trees.