Mother, there is nothing You do that does not stir me. Once, in Iceland, we gazed on The makings of Iceland itself A museum to the towers of Magma boiling miles below tiny Towns like Hvolsvöllur. Cattle dog lolls on the neon Green plain while nearby Ocean scrapes the black sand And basalt jenga of Reynisfjara. A lone cyclist pushes into a Rain wall which tries to deny her Her lunchtime meetup at Skógafoss. Though, Mother, There’s more to you than high Drama. You patiently fill the Drive up Northern Missouri With interstate wildflowers Purple clover and Queen Anne’s lace Nodding in a semi breeze. Mother, there is nothing You wouldn’t do to show us Your love: no rainbow Spared, no owl song muffled At nightfall. A mother’s love So profound, so Abused.
Day 22 of #100Daysproject falls on April 22, Earth Day.
For those following along, I started this project by requesting single-word prompts from friends on FB and IG (I still need more btw! Drop ‘em in the comments if you are so inclined.)
Today’s prompt came from fellow-mama Laura Carl: the word “awe.” I didn’t realize/remember that April 22 was Earth Day when I put this word on my spreadsheet for today. Synchronicity.
I doesn’t escape me as sadly ironic that we refer to Earth as “Mother Earth” —especially as we continue to do so little to care for her. This aligns in general with how our culture treats women and mother’s in general: expected to pour out with giving, while having bodies violated and rights stripped.
On the plus side, there is always birdsong to give us hope. So here’s an Icelandic Birdnote:
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This poem sings a lovely song to which I resonate particularly because of the eight days I spent by myself in Iceland a few years ago. It has an otherworldly feel about it, but, of course , as you said, it's mother is the same one that spawned the landscape of Kansas and Missouri. Thank you for this post.