Remember, Mother Earth
Remember 10 years old,
standing on frozen lake, looking
up, The Big Dipper, a vast
cracking sound echo’s through
woods. Earth speaks
Remember when Ontario
was full of vineyards,
when the orange trees reigned
in Riverside, and remember
the Joshua Trees, looking
up to blue sky
Remember summer
days in the 80’s
when Mt. Baldy was
a fuzzy outline behind
a smoggy veil
Remember Greta
Thunberg, when she
yelled, “How dare you!”
Remember when we
planted a tree from seeds
and now it has grown tall
and beautiful
Remember when I purchased
six mini Xmas trees
on sale; today
they are beautiful
mature Rosemary bushes
Remember humans, dear
Mother Earth gives
us everything we
need to survive, though
at times we forget
a little bit when we
should be grateful
Remember when
the air was fresh and
the oceans were clean
because people were
sheltering in place
Remember the ocean’s
kisses, lapping
waves erasing
your footsteps in the sand
Remember that you are
but a comma in
the history of the planet
Born naked from the womb
of Mother Earth, we are
nurtured with her blessings
and gifts of life-giving
waters, the air we breathe
all under the warmth
of Father Sky.
Remember, Mother Earth
reminds us we are
the caregivers of our
children’s future.
Handle accordingly.
Original prompt: A line inspired by Earth Day, beginning with the word, “remember”.
Tom Vaden, Cati Porter, John DiFusco, Dar Stone, Gudelia Vaden, Cindi Neisinger, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Nan Friedley, Debby Johnson, Magdalena Nunez, Frances T. Borella
Inlandia: A Literary Journey 