He had lived in the desert all his life, but for me it was all new. "See that footprint in the sand?" he asked, pointing to a spot by the cliff. I looked as close as I could. "No, I don't see anything."
"That's just the point." He laughed. "Where you can't see a print, that's where the Ancient Ones walked."
We went on a little farther, and he pointed to an opening, high up on the sandstone wall. "See that house up there?" he asked. I squinted hard. "There's nothing to see."
"You're a good student." He smiled. "Where there's no roof or chimney, that's where the Ancient Ones are most likely to have lived."
We rounded a bend, and before us was spread a fabulous sight - thousands upon thousands of desert flowers in bloom. "Can you see any missing?" he asked me. I shook my head. "It's just wave after wave of loveliness."
"Yes," he said in a low voice. "Where nothing is missing, that's where the Ancient Ones harvested the most."
I thought about all this, about how generations had once lived in harmony with the earth, leaving no marks to scar the places they inhabited. At camp that night I said, "You left out one thing."
"What's that?" he asked.
"Where are the Ancient Ones buried?"
Without reply, he poked his stick into the fire. A bright flame shot up, licked the air, and disappeared. My teacher gave me a glance to ask if I understood this lesson. I sat very still, and my silence told him I did.
Mother
Eons of time I've been gestating To take a form been hesitating From the unmanifest this cosmic conception On this earth a fantastic reception And then one fateful August morn From your being I was born With tender love you nurtured a seed To your own distress you paid no heed Unmindful of any risk and danger You decided upon this lonely stranger Rainbows, clouds, the deep blue sky Glittering birds that fly on high Out of fragments you've made my whole From the elements you fashioned my soul Mother dear, you gave me life Because of you, no struggle or strife You gave me joy and position Cared for me without condition And if I ever change this world It's from the emotions you've unfurled Your compassion is so sweet and dear Your finest feelings I can hear I can sense your faintest notion The wondrous magic of your love potion And now that I have come so far Met with every king and czar Encountered every color and creed Of every passion, every greed I go back to that starry night With not a fear for muscle or might You taught me how to stand and fight For every single wrong and right Every day without a hold I will treasure what you've mold I will remember every kiss Your sweet words I'll never miss No matter where I go from here You're in my heart, my mother dear
Mother Earth
I was walking along the beach one winter day. Looking down, I saw a wave push a feather up on the sand. It was a sea gull feather stained with oil. I picked it up and felt the dark slick film on my fingers. I couldn't help wondering if the bird had survived. Was it all right out there? I knew it wasn't.
I felt sad to think how carelessly we treat our home. The earth we all share is not just a rock tossed through space but a living, nurturing being. She cares for us; she deserves our care in return. We've been treating Mother Earth the way some people treat a rental apartment. Just trash it and move on.
But there's no place to move on to now. We have brought our garbage and our wars and our racism to every part of the world. We must begin to clean her up, and that means cleaning up our own hearts and minds first, because they led us to poison our dear planet. The sooner we change, the easier it will be to feel our love for Mother Earth and the love she so freely gives back to us.
Once We Were There
Before the beginning, before the violence Before the anguish of the broken silence A thousand longings, never uttered Pangs of sorrow, brutally smothered But I have chosen to break and be free Cut those ties, so I can see Those bonds that imprisoned me in memories of pain Those judgments, interpretations that cluttered my brain Those festering wounds that lingered have gone In their place a new life has dawned That lonely child, still clutching his toy Has made his peace, discovered his joy Where time is not, immortality's clear Where love abounds, there is no fear The child has grown to weave his magic Left behind His life of sorrow, once so tragic He is now, ready to share Ready to love, ready to care Unfold his heart, with nothing to spare Join him now, if you dare.
Planet Earth video
Planet Earth, my home, my place A capricious anomaly in the sea of space Planet Earth are you just Floating by, a cloud of dust A minor globe, about to bust A piece of metal bound to rust A speck of matter in a mindless void A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid Cold as a rock without a hue Held together with a bit of glue Something tells me this isn't true You are my sweetheart, soft and blue Do you care, have you a part In the deepest emotions of my own heart Tender with breezes, caressing and whole Alive with music, haunting my soul.
In my veins I've felt the mystery Of corridors of time, books of history Life songs of ages throbbing in my blood Have danced the rhythm of the tide and flood Your misty clouds, your electric storm Were turbulent tempests in my own form I've licked the salt, the bitter, the sweet Of every encounter, of passion, of heat Your riotous color, your fragrance, your taste Have thrilled my senses beyond all haste In your beauty, I've known the how Of timeless bliss, this moment of now Planet Earth are you just Floating by, a cloud of dust A minor globe, about to bust A piece of metal bound to rust A speck of matter in a mindless void A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid Cold as a rock without a hue Held together with a bit of glue Something tells me this isn't true You are my sweetheart gentle and blue Do you care, have you a part In the deepest emotions of my own heart Tender with breezes, caressing and whole Alive with music, haunting my soul. Planet Earth, gentle and blue With all my heart, I love you.
