"DO NOT GO GENTLE" by Seth Tummins

Life is a layered thing. As I stood listening to the big gun sprinkler, I considered the landowner who was trying to make green where green isn't easy to make, the preciousness of the water, and the tasks and trials that anyone living out West must face if they are to remain. I considered the others who crossed this land long before and imagined their lives here. When we lost an uncle, the nature of human will to make a way no matter what reminded me of the struggle - and its conclusion. Even though we know the end, we still push against the inevitable, for ourselves and for our families. Title taken from the poem by Dylan Thomas.