Creative Writing: Snap Rainforest

Imagine this - you are inside one of Earth’s beautifully crafted rainforests, engulfed in the pure serenity and unknown. First, close your eyes and listen. Signaled by the sun, the forest creatures are out and about for their spiritual midday chatter. Their cacophonous dialogue echoes through the trees. Now, open your eyes.You are immediately captivated and awestruck. Above, the sky is a canopy of trees; before you, the forest is dense with vegetation. To your surprise, you are not alone in this experience. The black howler monkeys throw their bodies upon their favorite branch,readying themselves to sing their daily song. A family of tree frogs leaps onto leaves, carefully poising themselves, and the colorful macaws fly into the scene with

As the disturbed birds fly away, the monkeys stay alert. Crack. Snap. Crack. Snap. One by one, trees in the distance fall. A machine turns on. It’s loud. The once living trees are now being crushed in the teeth of this unknown contraption. The monkeys are erratically running around; so are their neighbors. Everyone is seeking safety. Smoke fills the air. Their vision now blurred, it is becoming difficult for the family to stay together. Young ones fall off their parents’ backs, elders cannot keep up. When the dust settles, the whole community is without structure, family members are lost, there is no food to be found, no shelter to seek, no safety to feel. All for what? All for a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Unfortunately, the likelihood of finding open spaces of such lush imagery is becoming increasingly rare. Once prevalent throughout the world, these forests are now decreasing due to many factors, such as agricultural expansion, logging, and, most significant of all,

Mostly because one little thing will always affect the bigger picture. Just like an earthquake in California will cause the deaths of many in Japan via tsunami. Additionally, my strong appreciation for the pure outdoors sparks my motivation. I am fortunate enough to frequently stay in New Hampshire and Maine, both giving me exuberant experiences, each time I walk outside. Looking at the big picture, we are one planet, one Earth, one system. Those marching into territories that do not belong to them are not thinking of the big picture. The problem of missing the big picture can be vocalized in various terms. First, raising awareness. Putting yourself into the heart of the problem, broadcasting nationally first hand what is truly happening behind the scenes, can shed light on a dusty subject. Second, making it known politically what is to be done. Working with institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency can help pass legislative documents to help preserve and manage. Third, stating facts. People become weary when topics such as global warming or deforestation come into context, as to some, this does not exist. Providing cold, hard facts for the people, backed with extraneous evidence, specifically relating it to the selected demographic, can help provide the necessary push to