Gratitude

 

Down there amongst

The purple roots

Pushing through dirt

Lies the reason for

Why I was born

 

Remember the kid

Blowing fluffy white

Clouds on a breeze

Carrying a wish

No doubt too sweet

 

Honouring Our Pain

 

They called you weed

So I stamped you down

To green the lawn

And lift me up

Out of my pain

 

It hurts to know

I don’t belong

On manicured lawns

Or roadside verges

I’ll find my place

 

Seeing With New Eyes

 

You opened my eyes

Told me your name

Tooth of lion

You roared at me

Look at my leaves!

 

Greens for salad

Roots to brew tea

I’ll give you it all

Just don’t forget

I’m more than a weed

 

Going Forth

 

You told me to go

Forth on the breeze

Seed a new field

With hope and dreams

Braver new world

 

Wilted and bald

You’ve given it all

Shown me the way

Changed who I am

My warrior weed

 

 

 

Image Credit – Dori Midnight for The Work that Reconnects

This poem was inspired by the beautiful illustration of the lifecycle of a dandelion shown here. I also want to give an honourable mention to Eveline Tijs who led a four-part workshop I attended on The Work that Reconnects in the summer of 2021.

The Work That Reconnects, based on the teachings of Joanna Macy, unfolds as a spiral journey through four stages: Coming from Gratitude, Honoring our Pain for the World, Seeing with New/Ancient Eyes, and Going Forth. Each of these stages leads naturally to the next. The journey helps us experience first hand that we are larger, stronger,  more creative – and more deeply interconnected  with ourselves, with others and with Nature – than we know.