Earth

1978

Heart of fire

Heart of molten steel

Heart a slowly churning field of force

Pulling,

Pulling down upon it

Layer upon layer of living rock above.

Seeping through rock

The liquid blood of ages

Water and oil

Mix but cannot mix

Boil but cannot boil

Seethe but cannot seethe.

Pressure

Pulling, pulling

Pushing, shifting, slowly changing

Seeping, creeping

Shifting, shifting, slowly...

Now!

The seep, the creep, succeed!

And speed, more speed

Expand, explode, emerge!

Layers lift up

Tilt, slip, shift.

Fire

From the Heart of fire

Roaring into open air

Explode, explode

To devastate the surface space.

Taut skin

Splits and wrinkles

Torn by the inner force.

Dark waters well up

Finding their freedom

Roll, roaring, raging

Scour the surface

Settle at last

Seeking their place

Licking the planet's skin

Healing her self-inflicted wounds

Reflecting her distant sister Moon.

Creeping upon the surface

The teeming children

Scurry, hide, huddle together

Fleeing the Mother's undirected wrath.

With puny efforts

The myriad little creatures

Of sea and sky and land

Live out their lives

Close to the Mother's womb.

But here

Treading upon the land

Churning the seas

Storming the skies

A creature of fire

Calls to the Earth and says:

Hear me, oh Mother

I am your son, your brother

I work my will upon you

Weaving my way with yours.

You give me life

But I won't be your slave.

Winess my Being:

See it expand

Plumbing your ocean's depths

Feeling your molten heart

Twin to the fire within me.

I am Man

And my spirit knows your sister Moon

Matches your brother Sun

Reaches for the stars.

I am Man

I am your child

But I am your brother also

And I will be free.

And Mother Earth

Acknowledging her son, her brother, Man

Smiles upon him

And lets him live.