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