*New Poem* "Imagine"
a love letter to the Earth and to each other
IMAGINE
I meet you in the tall grass
where we lay our tired bodies
back into the unwavering support
of the Earth. Despite all we have carried,
we still sink like rocks tossed into
the river when we are given the space
to soften, to be seen in all of our aliveness.
We take turns whispering to the Earth and to
each other: I see you. I hear you. I will protect you
without condition. I will love you forever.
All parts of us are given the gift of space to hold
what is heavy: the rage, the sadness, the grief
for what once was and what will never be again.
The separateness that painted us blue, that froze us
in time and kept us from our own compassion.
The extraction of our most vulnerable selves,
used like weapons against one another. Here,
on the steady support of the Earth’s surface,
we allow ourselves to open. To remember our
ever-changing and interconnected energy.
How we need each other now more than ever.
We breathe in and fill the sky with fresh oxygen,
we watch flowers bloom at our feet, we stand firm
in front of what must be protected,
our love does not waver.
-E.L.Dan
@rootedincourage
Hi friend, I am writing to you on this Friday morning in June. This morning I accidentally dumped my bottle of antidepressants onto the floor and more specifically, into a shoe, and had to take time to pick each one up individually and remove dog hair from them lol.
Outside the birds are chirping and it is sunny but I am holding heavy in my heart the news of the wildfires in Canada, and the way the smoke is traveling over the east coast and affecting the air quality of so many. Because of this, yesterday in Pittsburgh our air quality wasn’t great and it was advised to keep children inside. I nanny my niece and nephew part-time who love nothing more than to be outside, so I had to gently explain to them why we were staying in without freaking them out.
This morning I attended a free Zoom meditation and journaling experience called “The Artist Morning” where we focused on the idea of feeling resourced in our divine masculine energy. As a non-binary person, I often shy away from classifying parts of us as masculine and feminine, and feel much more comfortable referring to them as solar vs. lunar energy. Lunar being the softer and more water-like energy, and the solar being more of that heat and passion and drive. I can also see how classifying these parts as masculine and feminine can be helpful for some, and how the energy and intention behind them for the most part is the same. I feel that Earth has all of these parts within it, the solidness and structure of the ground, the fire in its core, and the water and plants on the surface. The Earth, in my opinion, is a divine reflection of all parts of us, a sacred being we are meant to protect.
I am learning more about how wildfires are part of the current climate crisis we’re in and also due to the government ignoring the insight of Indigenous communities and their wisdom of how to control and prevent such widespread fires.
I wrote this poem as a love letter to the Earth, a reckoning with someone close to me that I oftentimes find difficult to love, and an invitation for all of me to have space to bloom, flourish, and heal – which is my wish for us all.
Sending you so much love and big, deep breath.
Xoxo Erin
Donate to True North Aid’s Wildfire Relief Fund: https://truenorthaid.givecloud.co/fundraising/forms/JLEML3D8
True North Aid is dedicated to serving and supporting northern and remote Indigenous communities in Canada through practical humanitarian support.