Earth

I have despaired of ever finding words
To describe my feelings about nature and the earth
About the beauty of waterfalls, trees, and birds
The wonder of a plant’s dying away and its rebirth
As the seasons ebb and flow

To hold a seed and see how it will grow
Into the towering cedar rising from the forest
Like a sentinel amid the lush ferns on forest floor
Oh miracle, that with such majesty have we been blessed
And miracles abound as we our earth explore

If only I could find the words these feelings to convey
But they elude me, leave me open-mouthed in wonder
Speechless in a quiet glade, or gazing rapt across a blue-green bay
As roiling clouds gather black against the sky and thunder
Reverberates against my chest like a beating heart

I am struck dumb, have not the art
Of expression, exposition, or refrain
How can I not love thee Earth, birth mother
Your rich womb my sole domain
Mother, sister, father, brother

All that I am and would be
Bound to you by all I cherish
I cannot speak, but you hear me
My beating heart sings my wish
Hold me, hold me, hold me