"Our bodies, a vessel.
Vines and veins.
Trying to be the patterns of nature.
Wanting to reflect the eyes of Mother Nature,
Forgetting we already are. Forgetting we are animals, too.
The ego sets in and now we want to be Mother Nature.
No longer wanting her to nurture us, but wanting to be the nurturers.
“You can’t my child, or you will destroy me”.
If we take her petal, the flower will no longer bloom.
If we cut her down, she’ll think we don't need her to grow.
She’ll go missing.
And the world won’t know because they’ll all think, they too, are Mother Nature.”
- 2018
Before you read my reflection: What do you think this poem is about? I would love to hear your feedback.
Self Reflection:
Without nature, I am nothing. I know it sounds like a cliche especially in an era during which everyone "loves the outdoors", but here's my truth: it goes beyond the superficiality of the run-of-the-mill hiking experience. My mother exposed me pre-adolescence to traditional Mi'kmaq teachings and I have grown up as someone who finds spirituality in animism. In the same way some seek a church, I seek the outdoors. I need nature to recharge my batteries. When I see certain animals, I see them as signs. When the Earth is talking, I listen. (For those who may be reading this, thinking it sounds a bit fairy tale like, stick with me).
Regardless of your level of connectivity to Earth, there are variables that connect us all to it, like globalization. Whether you see globalization as great economic potential, or a leech sucking the world dry, it affects us all. Globalization affects everything from our consumption patterns and waste management, all the way to political policies. I will not get too academic about it, but we can agree that there are pros and cons to this phenomenon we call "globalization". For some of us, the pros outweigh the cons. For others, the opposite.
Searching through my poems, trying to find the right one, Mother Nature vs The World popped out to me. After two years since reading this poem, I feel like it is even more relevant today than it may have been two years ago. Day after day, we know what is happening to the planet. A climate disaster happens, we protest, we deny, a climate disaster happens, we protest, we deny, and the vicious circle continues. Using money as the only currency will have its costs. I am not here today to talk environmental activism, but I share this poem to let the world know:
There are those who deeply feel for the Earth on a level that science simply cannot explain.
Special thanks to Kylee Nunn for this portrait