Bamboo forest

The best botanic gardens in Australia has to be Sydney's

It is sprawling with countless flora 

As far as the eye can see, and yet

All you can think about is the bamboo forest

Shrink it, for it is too small to be a forest

(And besides, they're not even trees)

Reduce it, because all you can see are the

Names carved into the woody culms

Humanity's desperate bid for 

Relevance, acknowledgement, to once again 

Wrap their white hands around Mother Nature's brown neck

Few other trees are marked the way the bamboo are

Because they stick out

People are drawn to them, but not the same way you are

Stepping towards the bamboo feels like homecoming 

Follow the bamboo down, through the earth, back to your shared roots

Ignoring the crude carvings splitting your skin

Because bamboo is the fastest growing plant on land

Whether that land is here or there

You'll rejuvenate and thrive, your skin thicker than ever