This Sacred Earth & Fire Into Water

By Joanne Cai

Growing up in midtown Manhattan, spending the weekends at tree-filled Central Park instilled in me a love for nature, leading me to reflect upon our treatment of the environment.

This Sacred Earth 
From the grass that sways gently 
Azaleas kissed shades of pink 
A sunset so graceful 
The sky lit red and gold 
Breathing life inside our lungs 
Nature untouched, beauty before brutality 
Before the trees disappear 
And the birds vanish 

I wonder what air would look like 
If it would lend itself to our eyes 
I wonder if it would drift by gently 
Or rush, forcefully gusting past 

I imagine gentle breezes of yellow 
As I stop to admire wildflowers 
I imagine shades of green 
As I lay on freshly mowed grass 
I imagine explosions of blue 
As my toes sink into sand 
Watching the waves 
Return to the sea 

This sacred earth, beauty and glory 
Emblazoned with history 
Life, living in harmony 
Streams flowing through jungles 
Mountains hidden underwater 
Towering above clouds 
Grassy green flatlands 
Tranquility 
Before humans
 
Fire into Water
Clear, blue 
Calm, serene 
Flowing free 
Quiet power 
Until angered 
Stormy, grey
Littered, blackened 
Controlled, unwillingly 

No longer home 

Beautiful, calm fire 
Enflamed, enraged, out of control 
Ravaging the world