We cannot help but want to protect the places
where we were born, raised, loved, lived
Yet can we locate who should be protecting where
simply by finding those coordinates on a map?
We are a species with more convoluted migratory
patterns than any bird or whale; our movement is nothing
like the predictable path of salmon to their spawning sites;
where we come from and who we are
are hinged upon so much more than
where we might be living at a particular moment
There are histories nested into histories,
conflicts, conquering, fleeing, searching–
where is home, where is “where we came from” any more?
There we were, in that place then
Here we are, in this place now
Where will we, our children, their children
be tomorrow?
We do not know;
we must protect it all.
narinda heng 