Garden of Hope
let us not forget
to tend
the garden of hope;
the potent practice
of visioning…
breathe in;
the omnipotent fragrance
of the effulgent flora;
her rich, olfactory medicine…
seek refuge
and sustenance in
the primordial presence
of the honey bee,
the bluebird,
the vibrant, chartreuse caterpillar
slowly making its way
along the slender leaf…
nurture
the benevolent roots,
the tender seeds
and bursting blossoms;
of
life on earth;
teaching us
to honor the whole,
showing us
a burning vision of cooperation
and sacred interconnection…
let
the rich compost
of crumbling, outdated systems
nourish fresh, new growth;
sparking a reemergence
of earth centric wisdom…
beat the drum
beat the drum
beat the drum
listen…
rivers telling stories,
forests’ hidden language revealed;
indigenous genius rising…
oceans singing songs of remembrance,
mountains dreaming us into clarity,
bones of our ancestors whispering
“you know the way”…
beat the drum
beat the drum
beat the drum
now is the time,
make it a practice
to
rest your eyes
on beauty;
again
and again
and again
bend your ear
increasingly toward the sounds
of the natural world,
and to those voices
that have been
heretofore silenced
and suppressed…
again
and again
and again
now is the time,
make it a practice
to
become fluent in
the language of
kindness
fortitude
bridge building…
stand firmly
on the bedrock of your
inherent belonging…
honor the in-breath,
and the out-breath;
moving forth from alignment
or
resting in the belly of the pause…
make beauty
make beauty
make beauty
hope rises
through our very roots
in the garden;
endless fuel for the present
and coming storms…
hope is not
a desolate landscape,
an isolated island,
a forgotten land;
she is the vibrant, eternal ground
from which
resilience is cultivated
strength rises
restoration is revered
generosity reigns
justice speaks
creativity is ignited
activism is born
simplicity serves
responsibility flourishes
resources are respected
reparation is natural
curiosity dances
connection heals
grief is honored
love is galvanized
and sacred sight is restored…
recognizing every member
of our human family;
cultivating right relationship;
through thoughtful,
emergent weaving
of that which seeks to
nourish, nurture and sustain
the whole of life on planet earth…
engaging in vital caretaking
;
lovingly passed
from one hand and heart
to the next…
hubris
gives way
to humility…
the garden teaches
us to be
reverent
and wild,
humble
and brilliant,
vulnerable
and rooted,
mundane
and heroic,
practical
and audaciously optimistic.
today I wander
to the garden’s
outermost edge;
soft
and open;
listening to her
potent pulse of aliveness,
my tender heart
overflowing
with compassion…
let us
stand together
to meet what comes,
here,
in this
beloved,
paradoxical,
living
mystery;
here,
in the center
of this vibrant
garden of hope…
sacred thread words & image © heather rhodes
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