I was unemployed for about two years before I found opportunity in a job training program for new farmers. It was organized by Windy City Harvest, and I had the chance to learn on a variety of farms used for different purposes.
I can talk at length when it comes to this program, but what I was remembering as I thought about this blog post was one of the instructors. She introduced us to Stevie Wonder‘s album, Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. And one of the songs that I connected with the most was Come Back As a Flower. I’ll share some of the lyrics for reference:
The strangest thought came to me on this morning
As I awoke to greet the coming dawn
The sun was hardly peaking through the garden
It felt with everything, I was one
Then I wished that I could come back as a flower, as a flower, as a flower
How I wished that I could come back as a flower, as a flower
To spread the sweetness of love
To spread the sweetness of love
I’ve listened to this song many times, during both happy and sad moods, and my state of mind really affects how I take in the words and the melody. The first few times I listened were during a deep depression. The lyrics evoked a sense of desire for escapism. Maybe plants have an easier time spreading goodness and love than humans do. I’ll share a few more words from the song to show what I mean:
The dew had finished making love to many
A rainbow smelling sweet was in the air
I envied all the silence I saw growing
So unmoved by things outside of themselves
Witnessing ICE raids in person and through social media and knowing people in Gaza are fighting to survive genocide, I can’t help but think of how plants experience these things alongside us. For the most part, they continue spreading the sweetness of love. But they also face negative ecological impact, like the olive trees in Palestine burned by IDF soldiers or competition for water from AI data centers using millions of gallons.
Something I learned in college was that humans are a part of the natural environment. As removed as we may seem through the construction of more highways and development over wetlands, we should understand ourselves as part of nature.
Another way to think about it is through our ideas of what nature should look like. In the field of restoration and conservation, we battle barrier weeds (or invasive species) as both a consequence of colonization and harmless migration. If we believe nature is defined by the lack of human influence or just letting things “grow wild,” we will probably lose many native species to competition from barrier weeds, and thus lose biodiversity.
So we have a responsibility as stewards to take care of what still remains and encourage a healthy growth and expansion of natural areas. In the Midwest, more and more people are growing mini prairies instead of flat lawn.
The Bell Bowl Prairie is an example of a devastating loss due to development that I’ll just leave a link for, since I don’t want to go on too much of a rant.
So yeah, escapism. More and more people are bearing witness to the injustices enacted throughout the world, and we are feeling it collectively.
When I listen to this song in a happier mood, I think of the resilience and hope in recovering ecosystems. In the context of the Midwest, there are rare native plants and adaptable ones. When creating seed mixes for restoring a natural area, ecologists tend to use the adaptable ones first in order to establish soil bacteria and structure. Rarer plants seem to like already established habitats, although this probably varies depending on the species. I am still learning!
Anyway, being human is complex. I feel that a lot when I think of the loss of the Bell Bowl Prairie or the olive trees in Palestine, while also thinking of the efforts to fight harder the next time a remnant prairie is at risk and the global efforts to support Palestinians in their fight for the right to return and rebuild. We have no choice but to build a better world for ourselves and future generations.
I don’t have much else to say for this post, but I’ll link to a few organizations you should support or learn more about!
Jailene Leyva 
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