This is me
Talking to my grandmothers
My aunts, ancestors, wisdom holders
An oak, the tallest in the bush
I hold onto it
I wrap my arounds around it’s middle
She is who I cry to
Scream to
Beg, plead, pray
She listens
They all listen
They understand
They live at the back of our land
They can see our house, hear the sounds, the screams, the fists hitting wood
The threats
They see the lights of police cars late at night
They hear my tears
They feel my heartache
They know
They feel it too
They tell me how to be a tree:
Bend, don’t break
Stand in prayer
The earth and the sun and the rain give you everything you need
Breathe
Be still
Hold your hands to the sun
Let your roots reach deeply
We are here
We will help you
Love and support and understand
Allow
Allow that which you don’t want. It isn’t up to you
We will stand beside you
Through it all
And at the end
The sun will shine, the earth and rain will provide what you need next
The birds will nest in our branches
The moss will come
And eventually we will become the earth.
