We Side with the Morning - Eugene Bianchi

Hello friends, summertime in Athens is a season to think about the relation of nature to the spirit. Everything is at its fullest and greenest, and at this age I find great comfort in seeing the natural world at its most complete. I believe in what the socio-biologist, E.O. Wilson terms “biophilia”, an attitude of profound respect for and attachment to our natural surroundings.

Yet the environmental challenge today is so great that it calls for a revised human consciousness of what it means to be a creature of earth. We must learn to take our place in nature, rather than subdue it in the biblical sense of dominion. My writing, especially the poetry of the last decade, I would like to think develops an ecological spirituality. Spirituality, a wider concept than religion, embraces ideologies, attitudes and actions that motivate mankind in its quest for deeper meaning and fulfilling human experience. Best, Gene.

“We Side with the Morning”

To side with the morning is relatively easy

here along the Oconee River in Georgia.

Sometimes it’s too hot or cold, lasting all day, well into night,

But God’s bright sun long ago learned to shine

With new life in and through the green,

To foster new colors, birds and other creatures.