Rise up, Sisters
As a virus ravages through
Any pretense of equality,
Unravelling the very fabric of society
As a movement for justice
Is met with scorn and violence
As millions of acres burn to the ground
Chasing animals and humans from their homes
And the sky bleeds dark orange
Blocking the sun’s healing rays
When the marine layers
Can no longer protect us from ourselves
And the Earth cries ashen tears
For the human recklessness
That has choked off our breath-line
And I wonder if we are a lost cause,
If the only language our human ears
Can hear
Is that of rage,
So long have we turned away
From Pain
A song gives me hope
“Rise up my sisters, rise up
We are the water, the sacred cup”
A voice as ethereal as an angel
Dances with my soul
Awakening the quivering knowing
Dulled by haze and fear
How can we soar
When we are so busy
Tearing each other down?
May we slow down
May we allow
The river of life to flow
Through our toes
May we feel
The interweaving
Of our connectedness
In the fluttering
Of our souls’ desires
May we find the courage
To trust,
To open our aching hearts
To heal the wounds
That lead us to lash out
To listen to the deeper truth
Binding us
To the rest of creation