Grounded – #EarthDay
By Krista Martinelli
Just a few minutes working with the soil
in my garden
and I am grounded.
Just a few songs from the birds
in nearby trees
and I am singing.
Let me see how the mango tree is doing.
Light green mangoes
will be turning sweet & fragrant soon.
Let me look at the stars
and get my bearings.
And remember how small I am.
Why must we ruin you
with noisy lawn mowers
with poisonous pesticides?
Why must we capture and kill
almost every single wild animal
known to man?
You are sacred.
Every white rhino, every giraffe,
every tiger, every living thing.
Must there be roads
and pipelines everywhere?
Until there’s not a wild patch left?
Even still
you show resilience
and renewal.
Like a seed sprouting through
the concrete
Like a lone wolf
howling at the moon.
And just like that
we have an otter in our lake
one of my favorite animals.
Playful, teasing, coming up for air,
such a delight
to my very soul.
Clean air, clean water, rich soil.
These are things that cannot be
taken for granted.