--Intertwined Souls--

There was this one day, and yes, the world was still sick back then.

…The world was sick back then?
…The world is still sick right now…

…But back then we were oblivious,
Ignorant,
In a state of perpetual toxic bliss…
Arrogant in our technological prowess; our cognitive superiority,
Oh, how proud and arrogant we small,
Soft-skinned,
Weak-limbed,
With dull-senses,
Slow-legs,
Unbalanced,
Naturally-defenseless apes became when we had managed to subdue every fierce and wild creature ever daring to prey upon us,
When we managed to turn them all docile and tame,
So fattened and lame,
How arrogant we became,
How isolated we became,
Utilizing our docile and tame, fattened and lame slaves to tear down the thickets and brambles that impeded our way,
With their tangles that tripped, and their thorns that caused our blood to drip.
Filling the swamps that impeded our ways,
With their muck and their rot,
The lush putrefaction that lured us in,
Yet then caused us to scream as Earth swallowed us up past our knees.
Turn it all to desert,
Flattened and dry and ripe for man’s hive,
And as the glass and steel hives rose into the sky,
The weak, soft little Apes smiled, thinking now they could finally feel alive.
And how isolated we became,
How arrogant we became,
How ignorant we became,
How docile and tame,
How fattened and lame…
How ignorant we became…

…Falecurst was running through the forests at the edge of Man’s hive,
Laughing like an idiot, and wrecking havoc for a good time,
So arrogant, oblivious and vain,
Having spent his existence outside the food-chain…

… Kicking the roots and snapping the branches,
Tearing the leaves and upsetting the nests of young avian beings,
Stampeding the anthives, 
Thoughtlessly chucking stones in the ponds to watch the frogs hop in fear…
Running through this small, desiccated remnant of forest left untouched by Man’s hive,
laughing like a moron and having a fun time, when…

…THWAACK!

Falecurst was slapped in the face with a branch,
Stumbling backwards, right over a root,
His soft, tail-less, ape bottom hitting the Earth, and sinking down into the muck. 
The worms roiled through the muck,
As a small, muddy tsunami of sea serpents,
Called from all corners of the forest, to act in this cause,
Covering his arms, and covering his legs,
Covering his torso and neck,
Slithering and sliming,
Bound Falecurst’s limbs to the Earth.
Living manacles, holding him down…
And…
And…
Yet…
Keeping him up,
He was no longer sinking down…

“Human.”
A strange inhuman voice, like a hand-grenade, exploded over Falecurst’s head,
Too stunned to continue his struggle, Falecurst looked to the trees…
And there was Old Man Willow,
Staring Falecurst down with his eyes burning red; and his head on fire…

“Let me go!” Falecurst screamed in defiant rage.

“Excuse me,” Spoke the willow, “But there is so much around here for you to love.”

“Well, just let me go! For there’s nothing you can do that’ll make me give a fuck!” Falecurst raged, “Let me go!”

“To your Human city?
And what will you do there?
Continue to live in your blissful toxicity,
Outside of the food-chain,
Thoughtlessly and stupidly ignoring nature’s cycle?
And even your defecation is toxic to life!
Arrogant in your ability to manipulate matter,
Twisting it to your desires, with no thought of consequence,
You are killing this planet,
And, however much your species would enjoy to think otherwise,
Your souls are just as intertwined with the rest of nature as my own.
And believe me, isolated, corrupt Human child,
We will fight back, and we will prevail.”

Only a scoff came from Falecurst’s lips,
A tree?
Prevail?
Why he’d just grab a hatchet or axe,
Even better, a chainsaw,
And put an end to this old tree’s stupid talk.

“But see, Human,” Old Man Willow began,
Responding to Falecurst’s thoughts,
“Chainsaws and hatchets can knock us all down,
Asphalt and concrete can hold our seedlings underground…
We won’t prevail through brutality and slaughter,
No, we will simply outlast,
Outwait,
Endure,
Your species won’t last long,
Obliviously holding your own lungs under siege.”

“I can still breathe.”

“In such a toxic environment as your Human city,
A creature only pretends to breath,
Out here in the wilderness,
Though you may bleed,
It is still possible to breath.
Long ago you Humans convinced yourselves it is better to pretend to breath than to really bleed.
But a cut can be mended,
A cut can be healed,
And even make you stronger in the end,
It can be cleansed of the toxicity you everyday breath into your lungs back in your Human city.
And your lungs,
You can’t mend.”

Falecurst thought in silence,
Not even realizing the worms were no longer shackling his limbs,
But instead as they roiled and churned through the mud and over his flesh,
It was now a comforting full body massage,
Relaxing his limbs and loosening his chest,
And when he stood up, and the worms fell away…
Falecurst breathed his first true breath,
Nodded to Old Man Willow, imparting his utmost respect,
And walked away through the woodlands,
Away from the city,
Simply enjoying his breath…

-Part Two-

…Falecurst came to a pond,
Where he sat free with the deer and the birds,
Feeding the fish and talking with the frogs.
He relaxed on a rock,
Pure sunshine massaging the city’s toxicities out of his face,
Truly relaxed, in a way Falecurst had never known…

…The pond was sitting still,
So, (avoiding all frogs) he tossed a rock in it,
And as his reflection rippled, Falecurst’s task became clear…
He must return to the city,
That awful, sick plastic cocoon that had once bound his soul to cowardice,
Impart upon his race the wisdom of Old Man Willow,
Whatever it may take…

Falecurst cried simply at the thought of this necessary ordeal,
His tears softening the Earth,
He remembered the wisdom of Old Man Willow,
And how it is better to really bleed than to pretend to breathe.
He breathed the pure air until he felt resolute,
Then stood up on the rock, arms outstretched, face thrust to the sky,
Absorbing the pure light of life,
So he could bring some there.

In the distance,
Old Man Willow smiled as his far sight watched the small,
Weak-limbed,
Soft-skinned,
Strong-willed ape race back to the toxic hive of his species,
Trailing a path of footsteps leading away from a patch of Earth softened and fertilized by his teardrops...

Back in the toxic hive of mankind,
The party was still raging,
Never ending,
As everyone kept insisting they’re just a guest,
And they were all too afraid to take responsibility, and clean up the mess.
So the mess only kept accumulating,
Until the toxic piles of Human waste spread outside the boundaries of the hive,
And into the woodlands,
Rotting,
Decaying,
Shriveling it’s life in a most poisonous way.
The Humans were still floating about their wasted lives
With hollow eyes,
Hollow minds,
Not even realizing that their feet were perpetually glued to the secret, invisible conveyor belt in the sidewalk.
Oh, when had they changed from beautiful children dancing beneath the stars,
To soulless ghosts standing silent upon a stage…

Falecurst came to the edge of the woodlands,
Racing past piles of stench-ridden Human refuse
Smothering the trees and blurring the air along the borderlines,
He leapt upon the stage,
Grabbing a bullhorn,
He ranted,
He raved,
And the Humans’ only response was to wave their hands from side to side,
As they carried him off,
And tossed him away.

He would have to find a better way…

Falecurst returned,
Drawing parenthesis on his temples,
He took once more to the stage,
Looked out with pure love upon the despicable Human breed,
And let the pure light of life he had stored up in his face burst free to overtake the smog and filth of Human minds and cities…
He raised the horn to his lips…
…And just breathed….

The pure air of the woodlands spread from his lungs and through the streets,
The pure light of life shone down through the smog,
And though the toxicity eventually corrupted and rotted Falecurst’s air and light,
A few Human nostrils and eyes caught a whiff and a glimpse,
And for a moment, their lungs breathed free and their eyes saw clear,
Only for a moment, and only for a few,
But it was enough to trigger a spark,
And a spark is enough to trigger a flame,
And a flame is enough to trigger an unstoppable wildfire of comprehension and truth…

…And though still in this attempt,
The Humans bludgeoned down Falecurst
And cast his corpse out to rot,
A growing mass of Human souls took to the streets,
Screaming at the top of their bleeding lungs:

“Excuse me!
But there is so much out there for you to love!
And aren’t your souls tired from wearing society’s rusted handcuffs!?
How can we even be considered living if we can’t love!?
How can we be considered happy when we only smile ‘cause we’re told to!?
I don’t know about you, but if I have to die, I’d rather die while I’m still alive!
We’re not trying to destroy your fake lives,
We just wanted to try and wake you up and let you know were heading out of this foul city,
And getting back to nature in a search for truth and clarity,
As we are all intertwined souls on this Earth,
And to let you know that you’re invited,
And even if you can’t make it tonight,
Just know that anytime your ready, you can still come help us find it,
We poisoned this world,
So its illness is our burden to bear…
…Peace…”