a song of the earth?

Written for Greenbelt 2014 Travelling light at the ‘Grove’

(There is a bit of a nod to EB Browning and Harry Potter if you can spot them!!)

( For two voices from one person.
a cross concerned confused voice  -::-  and an inquisitive excited soul  )

a song of the earth?

You’ve got dirt
on your hands
did you know?
Euwch, dirty stuff – look at it.

why not look, I mean really see
the dark brown earthy lumps

The dirty brown mess of

complex mixture of old roots and seeds
dead life and potential the grit and sand

I don’t want to touch

it’s gritty, rough, but smoothing & soothing on the skin
squeeze it in a clump and it crumbles changing texture and form.

And that smell?

of burnt ginger cake, rich dark chocolate, old wines
tempting you almost to

Taste is one sense too far

oh go on and taste a little of its story.
From where from what has it been?
listen to the journey a thousand plants animals humans seeds roots nutrients grown in changing exchanging energy within cells and
you were once this earth
here broken down the
dark brown stuff of life called

‘ Dirt ’

and we take off our shoes
for we tread on holy ground
and God created the man from the
earth to earth ashes to ashes
and dust to dust to ashes to earth to womb
and to be reborn a child of the earth.

That we once were we shall be again, the old has been transformed into the new and back until there is no distinction between us and earth which nourishes feeds and sustains our lives making us whole and we tread ever further on her surface each step pushing down and away, but we cannot escape so we must embrace the earth and cherish her warm and welcome womb enclosing each precious life. From earth to earth and ashes to ashes and dust to dust in the sure and certain hope of treading a lighter path with sister, brother, mother earth.