As the wind comes from the north
I'm thinking about the elements and kinship
It’s a blustery day here in Minnesota—snow fell every day last week and though it’s sunny today, the wind is blowing it around and the lake is unsettled, with just a bit of ice around the edges. There are 15 (15!) trumpeter swans out there today. Earlier this week there were two, then a few more came, and now they’re claimed this little body of water as their place, at least for now. I also saw a juvenile great blue heron this morning, looking not too pleased with the cold temps, head tucked in and feathers plumped as she stood in the shallows. Most of them migrate from here, but I guess this one decided to stick around awhile longer, as have a few geese and ducks.
I like to think of these birds, even the ones who are only here for a while each year as they migrate through, as my neighbors. Kin, even, since we earth dwellers are all connected by the simple fact that we rely on this shared planet to keep our bodies alive. Sisters who are swans. Brothers who are wood ducks. Uncle owl, grandfather maple. The otters teach us to play and the coyote reminds us to use our voices. Eva’s got some stink bugs in a terrarium along with some moss and lichen. Bug babies with a mossy nanny. Grandfather maple lost a limb earlier this year, and he’s gifted it to us as firewood, and one deer has given his life to become part of our sustenance. Plants that thrived in the garden have become compost to nourish next year’s seedlings. We’re all a part of the whole, part of the elements that make earth what she is.
Anyway, here’s a poem that came to me while I was watching the swans glide around.
ELEMENTAL
I knew someone once
who was flame dancing–
a burst of fire and smoke reaching skyward.
I knew someone once
who was water seeping–
a pervasive holy presence finding a way.
I knew someone once
who was earth standing–
solid rock channeling unwavering truth.Â
I knew someone once
who was air rising
ethereal energy, atmosphere embodied.
It was you, or me, maybe all of us
–earth, water, fire, air–
meeting in space and across time
a collective effervescence
a collision of earth and sky
a confluence of all that once was and yet will be.
