One Earth Conservation's newest Board member Eric Kreuter introduced LoraKim and I to a concept that was new for us – poetry as therapy. In addition to being a member of One Earth Conservation’s Board, Eric is also a member of the Board of the National Association for Poetry Therapy. To demonstrate the power of poetry for nurturing oneself and others, Eric invited LoraKim and I to write a group poem with him on the topic of the “immutable beauty of nature.” The process of doing this not only inspired individual musings about the nature of nature, but created new connections, understandings and nurturance among the participants. With Eric’s guidance, the three of us then created an article about our experience that will be included in an upcoming 2017 issue of the Journal of Poetry Therapy (published by Taylor & Francis).
Here is a link to an abstract of the article and below that is the resulting poem (which is also included in the Journal of Poetry Therapy article):
Earth Inhabited and Nurtured
By Gail Koelln, LoraKim Joyner and Eric A. Kreuter
A poem for the world
The Way It Really Is
The immutable awe of nature beckons the admiring eye.
Vision lost in thought at the ethereal majesty of creation.
A kaleidoscope of color, sound, texture and imagination.
Flora and fauna abound to survive, flourish and delight.
Our Response to It
I nurture the old bird
Who is eternally so, so very sweet
.Before he’s gone, I miss him already
It’s hard and bittersweet watching life’s decay
The Way It Really Is
Of course, the flip side of grimy feathers
Passed by in the rush to get somewhere
Road rage within us all,
Is that beauty never dies
Our Response to It
Noticing the flight of the bird
Saving the trapped insect from certain doom
Admiring the wild animal for its import
Caring for the land so plants can grow
Reality and Response Interwoven
Growing my garden
Who would have thought I’d love it so much?
Life is full of surprises
The pure joy of fat, shiny, purple eggplants on the vine!
Nature Quietly Responds
Pushing through the warming spring soil
Reaching for the bright sun refreshed by cool rain
Providing nectar for visiting bees and butterflies
Resilient to storms and dreading winter’s onslaught
Our Response to It
Helping the bees
My fear has turned to compassion
Despite the possibility of a mortal sting
I respectfully keep my distance in awe and gratitude
Acceptance of Nature’s Way
Relinquish the control we never really had
Allow the free reign of nature to arbitrate the battle
When the moth becomes food, another survives
The dormancy of winter seeds life come spring
We give ourselves over to a grander thing