One Final Paragraph Of Advice
(Joy Shipmate Joy) 
by Edward Abbey

 
Do not burn yourselves out.


Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast …

A part-time crusader,

A half-hearted fanatic.



Save the other half of yourselves and your lives 

For pleasure and adventure.
 

It is not enough to fight for the land;

It is even more important to enjoy it.
 

While you can.

While it’s still here.
 
So get out there
 

And hunt and fish and mess around with your friends,

Ramble out yonder and explore the forests,

Climb the mountains,

Bag the peaks,

Run the rivers,

 
Breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air,

Sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness,

The lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.

 
Enjoy yourselves,

 
Keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body,

 The body active and alive,


And I promise you this much;  

I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies,

Over those desk-bound men and women

With their hearts in a safe deposit box,

And their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators.

I promise you this;

 
You will outlive the bastards!


(Found Poem framed by Gabri Rigotti, thanks to Harry Trisos and Christopher.Trisos for the pointer ...)