The Earth's Embrace

The hard-packed dirt is silent underfoot,

Slightly dampened by the early morning fog.

I know what lies before me on my well-trodden path.

Yet on mornings like this

I prefer to pretend

As though this is a new track.

.

I know not where the next bend

Or incline shall be.

For in the light of dawn

A new adventure waits for me.

.

The birds sing gaily as the crickets are lulled to sleep.

I watch in wonder as the deer timidly leap.

Rabbits are darting to and fro.

Frogs croak beyond as they settle in to their leafy beds.

Though I cannot see them yet,

I can smell their weed-encircled pond.

Oh, there! I saw one leap into the fronds!

The ducks slowly paddle themselves in a row.

.

There, in the distance, comes the rooster’s morning crow.

To my right, an enormous willow,

Her limbs swaying languidly, in tune with the Earth’s rhythmic flow,

Her gnarled bark hums with ancient divinity,

A secret tune, not privy to the likes of you and me,

’Tis an ancestral song of the natural world, long-lost to humanity.

For far too long, we’ve been disconnected.

We have lost our way, and thus been ejected.

.

If we strive to listen, to truly hear,

We may feel Earth’s soothing embrace,

And hear the melody of all she holds dear.

I’m learning to reconnect with my surroundings,

To absorb and observe.

.

“Child, this is all you must do:

Simply set aside your nerve.

Follow the path.

There, now, just beyond the curve.

Wonders lie in wait.

Will you protect them? And conserve?

.

If you exhibit a heart that is willing to serve,

And are only motivated by the need to preserve,

Nature is waiting for you to return to the fold.

’Tis time now to shrug off your modern society.

That world will turn one’s heart oh so very cold.

.

Tread lightly, Child, and with care.

There is much to behold.

For your soul to recall this connection of old,

Your heart should embrace Gaia with the purity of gold.”

These are the wise words that Mother Willow told.

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This poem was originally published on Medium.