What to Expect When You Come Planting - A Poem by Laura Luchak
Congratulations, today is your day!
You’re off to great places, you’re off and away.
You’ve decided to tree plant in BC for the summer
Cause hanging at home would be such a bummer.
Plus you heard rumors it’s the thing to do
For good money, good times and a tight knit cool crew.
You have dreams in your head and boots on your feet
You can’t wait to get out there and plant lots of trees!
Except when you don’t, because sometimes you won’t...
There may be some things your friends forgot to mention
Though I’m sure it came from the greatest intention.
The problem is this, as you’ll start to see
It’s different then reminisced faint memory.
They forgot about thorn bushes, rocks, duff and slash
And the brutal hot days when you start to crash.
Or rainstorms and dampness for days on end
Where it hurts to wake up, tie your shoes, stretch or bend.
Then there are fill blocks with naturals galore,
You can’t anticipate that from your idealized dream store.
You’ll walk through grass as high as your chest,
And freeze in the rain if you stop to have rest.
You’ll be sun fucked and burnt till your body is red
Dehydrated as hell with an ache in your head.
Your body will be sore, your boots will be wet,
To wake up in the morning you’ll have to forget.
But it’s not just your body that tears and breaks down,
Your biggest inhibitor will be when you frown.
Your mind is a beast you just have to tame,
In a cyclical, unpredictable, unending game.
And it’s easy to get stuck in the deep scary dark,
Stay there all day, your body in park.
If you don’t take control, it will last even longer,
To escape from this rut, you’ll have to get stronger.
But then when you do, because you know that you will,
You’ll finally understand the great planting thrill.
You’ll start to move faster and sweat even more,
And remember exactly what you came here for.
Tree planting is tough, it’s not for the weak,
You’ll work like a dog till your bones start to creak.
You’ll start to go crazy and sleep not a lot,
You’ll itch and you’ll burn and you’ll wish to get shot.
But don’t be discouraged, it’s not all that bad,
You will be at peace… when you’re not really sad.
For real though, I’m serious, it’s one of a kind,
It’s the best and worst thing that you’ll ever find.
It’s a place full of misfits, weirdo’s like you,
Who think escape from the real world is the right thing to do.
If you’re lucky you’ll come across a Greg, Phil or a Dan
Who may strike you at first in how far off that they stand.
But soon you will realize that they don’t stand so far,
For they are unapologetically just who they are.
And that’s the kind of lesson we are rarely taught,
By some corporate suit or academic big shot.
Stay true to yourself, be honest, don’t bend,
Because who you are is cool as fuck, not something to amend.
Then there are people spreading love in all that they do,
Like the Hannahs and Zay Bears to name just a few.
You may even see moonshadows, full, bright and clear,
With cuddle puddles and smiles, they always bring cheer.
Tree planting is often a metaphor for life,
With many deep lessons about struggle and strife.
Expectations, for example, should never sit too high,
Things that look like cream can often make you cry.
Or taking time on your piece by throwing a plot,
Saves a lot of stress later, so repo you shall not.
At the end of the season you won’t even believe,
Your bank account and friendships, you may start to grieve.
Because the real world, its lame, its stale and redundant
Where treeplanting brings change that's rather abundant
You'll open your mind, your perspective will grow
Your comforts and judgments away you will throw
There’s something to be said about this simple way of living,
In a commune like ours you must be forgiving,
Of different types of people, moods and behavior,
And little things like grilled cheese make Nolan your savior.
Though the money does come with patience and time,
On the days in between you stay at peace with a rhyme.
Like this one, for instance, I wrote in my land,
Instead of pounding through a swollen, cut-up, bruised hand.
So here’s to you rookie! and all you vets too,
To management, owners and all of the crews.
We got through another year… how the fuck?
Back to “real life” now, well that’s going to suck.
We conquered the bush, so raise your glass for a cheer,
And if we’re stupid enough, well, we'll see you next year!
You’re off to great places, you’re off and away.
You’ve decided to tree plant in BC for the summer
Cause hanging at home would be such a bummer.
Plus you heard rumors it’s the thing to do
For good money, good times and a tight knit cool crew.
You have dreams in your head and boots on your feet
You can’t wait to get out there and plant lots of trees!
Except when you don’t, because sometimes you won’t...
There may be some things your friends forgot to mention
Though I’m sure it came from the greatest intention.
The problem is this, as you’ll start to see
It’s different then reminisced faint memory.
They forgot about thorn bushes, rocks, duff and slash
And the brutal hot days when you start to crash.
Or rainstorms and dampness for days on end
Where it hurts to wake up, tie your shoes, stretch or bend.
Then there are fill blocks with naturals galore,
You can’t anticipate that from your idealized dream store.
You’ll walk through grass as high as your chest,
And freeze in the rain if you stop to have rest.
You’ll be sun fucked and burnt till your body is red
Dehydrated as hell with an ache in your head.
Your body will be sore, your boots will be wet,
To wake up in the morning you’ll have to forget.
But it’s not just your body that tears and breaks down,
Your biggest inhibitor will be when you frown.
Your mind is a beast you just have to tame,
In a cyclical, unpredictable, unending game.
And it’s easy to get stuck in the deep scary dark,
Stay there all day, your body in park.
If you don’t take control, it will last even longer,
To escape from this rut, you’ll have to get stronger.
But then when you do, because you know that you will,
You’ll finally understand the great planting thrill.
You’ll start to move faster and sweat even more,
And remember exactly what you came here for.
Tree planting is tough, it’s not for the weak,
You’ll work like a dog till your bones start to creak.
You’ll start to go crazy and sleep not a lot,
You’ll itch and you’ll burn and you’ll wish to get shot.
But don’t be discouraged, it’s not all that bad,
You will be at peace… when you’re not really sad.
For real though, I’m serious, it’s one of a kind,
It’s the best and worst thing that you’ll ever find.
It’s a place full of misfits, weirdo’s like you,
Who think escape from the real world is the right thing to do.
If you’re lucky you’ll come across a Greg, Phil or a Dan
Who may strike you at first in how far off that they stand.
But soon you will realize that they don’t stand so far,
For they are unapologetically just who they are.
And that’s the kind of lesson we are rarely taught,
By some corporate suit or academic big shot.
Stay true to yourself, be honest, don’t bend,
Because who you are is cool as fuck, not something to amend.
Then there are people spreading love in all that they do,
Like the Hannahs and Zay Bears to name just a few.
You may even see moonshadows, full, bright and clear,
With cuddle puddles and smiles, they always bring cheer.
Tree planting is often a metaphor for life,
With many deep lessons about struggle and strife.
Expectations, for example, should never sit too high,
Things that look like cream can often make you cry.
Or taking time on your piece by throwing a plot,
Saves a lot of stress later, so repo you shall not.
At the end of the season you won’t even believe,
Your bank account and friendships, you may start to grieve.
Because the real world, its lame, its stale and redundant
Where treeplanting brings change that's rather abundant
You'll open your mind, your perspective will grow
Your comforts and judgments away you will throw
There’s something to be said about this simple way of living,
In a commune like ours you must be forgiving,
Of different types of people, moods and behavior,
And little things like grilled cheese make Nolan your savior.
Though the money does come with patience and time,
On the days in between you stay at peace with a rhyme.
Like this one, for instance, I wrote in my land,
Instead of pounding through a swollen, cut-up, bruised hand.
So here’s to you rookie! and all you vets too,
To management, owners and all of the crews.
We got through another year… how the fuck?
Back to “real life” now, well that’s going to suck.
We conquered the bush, so raise your glass for a cheer,
And if we’re stupid enough, well, we'll see you next year!
