Frail, Holy Grail
©July 18th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
Hold the Earth holy
Hold her in your hands.
Keep her safe.
Blue oceans circle her.
Giant peaks touch hushed skies.
Canyons yawn below.
Trees grow tall and strong,
Grasses wave gaily in prairies,
Animals leap and stalk, and dive,
Flowers grow unashamed and lush,
And here and there, the earth moves,
Rocks jut out, bones show.
Earth is strong
But she’s lived a long time
Been poked and prodded,
Strip-mined, mountain-top-mined,
Tunneled, cultivated, deforested
Plundered and molested by men.
And now, she’s grown
Frail as glass,
Life-broken in places,
Trying to stay intact.
Give her room, give her time.
Let her waters flow,
Let her birds fly,
Let the forests grow tall
Let her animals live.
Let all life flourish
Try and do no harm.
Let our Earth recover,
And we may live, yet.
Seek her strength.
This is our Holy Grail.
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