I have learned something from standing at the tallest mountain tops
Under the fullest moon
Crisp mountain air
From soaking in the hottest natural springs
From drinking the coldest natural spring water
I have learned from standing at the edge of the brightest blue ocean
the crashing waves
under the brightest milky way
Wonder
The coyote, the dolphin, and the bear
Dusty trails, tallest pines
Coolest mountain streams
Standing at the edge, gazing into the deepest cut canyons
Dizzying
I have learned much from the hot summer desert
The tallest saguaro
The way the desert mountains glow pink and orange at sunrise
Stillness
I have met my own strength and witnessed my own weakness
I have leaned into you
I am of you, and will return to you
Copper, topaz, quartz, and silver
Deep breaths
The mist hangs in the firs
The clouds coming in from the Pacific
The winding mountain roads that lead to the most amazing views
I release to this
I know my place
I know what is at stake
Holy country, holy land
Holy globe
Mother
Growing fat on summer berries
Shrinking under packed snow
Letting death take us
As the crisp, colorful leaves fall in autumn
The fertility and wetness of spring
I walk with you in these shifts and changes
I feel my belly swell and change with the moon
I burrow in, lean into you
Feeling lost when I have lingered too long behind windows and amongst walls
I scream at the edge of the canyon cliff
My small voice raised up by geometry and space
Echoes
The pain of a thousand ancestors
The primal rage of being human
Limitations
Yet, the thundering love of all that came before me
When will greed take a step behind respect and conservation?
When will humans stop waging war?
With other nations?
With eachother?
With ourselves?
We must love our rough edges, and our softness, all the same
It all starts within and radiates out into the cosmos
I have learned much from my time here
This mossy, green, wet, classroom
I have learned from the acorn, the hawks, the seashells, the feathers, the dust, and the sunflower
I promise to be my best self
I promise to stay wild
So others can learn from me