Changing of Seasons

It’s beginning to feel like autumn–maybe a little too quickly for my liking. This summer passed in a blur, with too many sweltering days that kept me indoors, wishing for cooler air. Something about the weather feels different, unsettled, and worrisome. And as often happens, that restlessness has me thinking about art and what I want to create in response.

Back in high school, I wrote a poem about acid rain. I only remember fragments, something about “madness” and the land breaking apart from neglect. But the theme still resonates. Pollution, unchecked industry, and environmental damage aren’t just problems of the past; they’ve grown worse. It saddens me that my teenage worries have become even more urgent today. If I ever find that old poem, I’ll share it. But maybe what’s more important is writing new poems, creating new art, and taking new actions that speak to the crises we face now.

One thing I believe we all share is the land itself–this earth beneath our feet. There is no fence high enough or boundary wide enough to escape the consequences of pollution. But I’ve seen hope too. Recently, I watched a group working against soil erosion: laying straw, planting grids, carefully nurturing the ground back to life. It was powerful. It worked. And it reminded me that action takes many forms.

Artists, writers, filmmakers, and poets can be part of that effort too. Whether you’re planting the soil, documenting it, painting about it, or sharing words that inspire others to act, all of it matters. Creativity is not separate from change–it can be the change.

I’ll leave you with lines from Pablo Neruda’s Industrial Pollution, which feel as urgent now as ever:

“Here I come to speak for the rivers,

for the green forests stretching out to the sea,

for the mountains that reappear

blindfolded by the smog,

for the birds that are dying out

and the fish that are choked to death…”

Perhaps this change of seasons is not only about summer turning to fall, but about turning our attention toward how we protect and honor the earth we all share.