by Anya Arthen
—
I come from
Seed of a wild strawberry,
Morning dew,
Bark of apple tree,
Heron,
Cornflower.
I am the coalescence of Spirit personified
Sweetness of love mixed with raw inexperience
I come from earth.
Soil between my toes, grew me
Flowing water nourished my roots
I emerged out of the carrot patch
Sprouted legs, to walk away
And dance among wildflowers
I come from traditions
Only my mitochondria remember
Passed to me by my mother
Passed to my mother by her mother ,
Passed to her mother by her mother,
To her mother by her mother,
To her mother by her mother,
To her mother by her mother,
How many generations back, to remember?
The water that nourished me,
Flows under bedrock
Feeds plants and wildlife
Filtered by roots for my consumption
How many generations back, to remember?
My life is intertwined
With those roots,
With that water
With those beings that feed it and feed off of it
How many generations back, to remember?
The earth is not my home
The earth is who I am
How many generations back, to remember?
The Ceremonies
Ones honoring the more-than-human world
Ones that revere the beauty of co-creation
Ones of reciprocity to land and all her beings
How many generations back, to remember?