I like to be very still.
Very quiet and listen to them sing.
Then I am not thinking about
Genocide, ecocide.
Drones, bombs, and war.
I am most certainly not thinkin’ about how children are the
most oppressed class in society, or that my Mom figures
she will have to work until her dying day and never get to rest in this life. She simply can’t afford it.
I am not doom-scrolling through the abyss, wondering what is
going to happen next. Will there be water, food, and shelter
for all of us?
When I am watching the birds, I am not focused on the wildfires burning out of control all over the earth or the Colorado River drying up.
Even while the world is burning, all I want to do is watch the birds.
Valerie Jean is a Water Protector, an avid birdwatcher and photographer, a social justice movement photographer, and a grandmother. She was awarded the 2023 Water Is Life Award for her years-long organizing efforts to shut down Enbridge Line 5 and to make water affordable for all Michiganders. She is Riverwise Magazine’s assistant editor, social media manager, photographer, and community organizer.
