Essential Earthship

Planet's people pillage, plunder, ponder, praise, pray, play?

What are we to write
for Earth Day that would feel ‘right,’
that would fit/serve life?

Priorities

Just one day for Earth,
on whom everything depends?
Way far from enough.

Perhaps as pivot/palate cleanser from pressing political plane perspectives, here’s a looonger pause offering of ponderings and pixels, prioritizing this precious planet, because...

Awe

Gaia, planet Earth,
patient, persistent teacher.
Brilliant beauty queen.

Wild ecosystems,
astonishing mysteries.
Real masterpieces.

Aws

In the cool forest,
fauna flora fungi fam.
Fawns forage for treats.

In the hot jungle,
fauna flora fungi fam.
Vines are swings for chimps.

All over, buds, babes,
fauna flora fungi fam.
Around, and within.

Us

By wet riverbed,
those fallen become bridges.
Old oaks, also us.

In deep dark wild woods,
those fallen become arches.
Birches, also us.

In fall food garden,
those fallen become compost.
Green goods, also us.

Oh!?

Everyone belongs
in Earthling large family.
An inclusive club.

Earthship membership,
free to all born on this orb.
Non-transferable.

Lucky to live here,
showered by Earth’s benefits.
Prized perks will expire.

Oh-oh

On and on and on,
heartbeats pound, sap and air flow.
While there is life still.

Life on Earth, U.S.,
free for all fine residents?
If we can keep it.

Everlasting not,
ferns, food, family, friends, foes.
Organisms, ores.

OK?

Climate, weather shifts,
droughts, rain records, firestorms.
No longer small talk.

Endangered marvels,
air, water, soil mineral.
Will we do our part?

Asleep, dazed, stunned, numb,
humans in fast-heating pot.
Will we thaw in time?

Ouch!

Fearful and furious,
we scare and harm each other.
While Mother Earth hurts.

Faithful and curious,
we soothe, care for each other.
May Mother Earth heal.

What?

Awesome planet Earth,
what are we doing to you?
Amazing. Ailing.

Climate collapsing?
Humans in sleepwalking trance.
Is Earthship sinking?

What is there to do
when Mother Earth gets attacked?
Breathe, reach out, link, act!

Wake!

Said old-growth forests:
We were clear-cut, maimed, raped, razed.
And now we’re shrinking.

Said humble humans:
Our fault, regrets. We’ll wake up.
Link, feeling, thinking. 

Ode

Home Earth, wow!
Awestruck we are by your beauty, by your power…
by the genius of your nature.

Home Earth, thanks!
Nest, cave, burrow, womb, tomb for us all…
precious parent, starting block, ending point.

Home Earth, regrets!
Human actions have, willingly or unwittingly…
harmed and hurt you.

Yet here we are, still,
some innocent, others naive, most ignorant…
all responsible.

Winks

Nature images, ‘Like’!
Inspiring ‘influencers.’
No filters needed.

Notice nature’s news…
plant, walk woods, listen, learn, work.
Join kind friendly flocks.

Earth is resilient,
breathing still, and come what may:
Gaia resistance.

‘Preciation

Our fellow fauna,
their most deserving dearness.
May we protect them.

Our neighbor flora,
their most breath-giving isness.
May we defend them.

This womb-tomb planet,
her most generous source-force.
May we deserve her.

Place?

Oh, how so lucky, ‘blessed’?
to be embodied, embedded… in life, on this awesome planet’s face,
with her so ‘amazing grace’!

Praise

What good fortune is to breathe
pure air,
exhaled by flora’s foliage, leaves.

Oh, how graced are we to eat
fresh fruit,
from trees, shrubs to our lips, hips.

What dear boon it is to drink
clean water,
gift bestowed by rain and springs.

Precipitation

May rain come and fall.
May creeks trickle, sing, rush, flow.
May young saplings grow.

Pachamama

Mother, may we hear your song, your cries, your call.
May we be inspired, instigated, propelled
by your processes, your pregnancies, your promises.

May we prioritize the reparation
of the damage we have done.
May we restore what we can of yesteryear, now, this year.

May we proceed with reverence,
with conscience, with prudence,
with urgent diligence!  

Proposal

May we waste not.
Not water, nor food, nor fuel.
Not word, nor thought, nor deed.
Not energy, nor effort, nor time.
Not anywhere, not any longer, not anymore.

Plans

May we tend tenderly
to that granted to us
by true grace.

May we guard fiercely
that gifted to us
by genes, gods.

May we meet our maker’s motives.
May we fulfill the intention
of evolution, of bang creation.

Participants

On this planet, life.
Nature, nurturing parent,
talented teacher.

We’re not architects
of this planet… perhaps just
awkward assistants?

Promises

We commit to conserving, protecting, defending Earth’s elements,
syncing with her life rhythms our human instruments.

We commit to participating in the continuing life cycles
sensitively, intentionally, skillfully, wisely.

Purposeful

May people live on this planet
as long as we appreciate and contribute with wisdom and grace,
beyond the human race.

May people leave this planet
once we no longer do so.

Pinelike

May our petitions tap spring wells
until reaching pure clean water,
as tenacious taproots dig deep, trusting. 

May our prayers hoist kites far and away
to where fresh air can be found,
as stubborn strong branches reach high, hoping.

Probes

What is real right here?
Human-made messes galore…
and creatures playing.

What is true right now?
Planet burning, melting poles…
and grasses swaying.

What are we to do?
Clean up mess, tend to Earth’s calls…
do more than praying.

Posts

Sciences and arts
face, name, claim Earth’s now hard truths.
Work, hope help our odds.

With critical mass,
life/love prevails o’er the rest.
So we hope and pray.

Earth-centric publications by these fellow Substack authors do much more than hoping, praying and wishing well for this wondrous wounded world, by informing, inspiring, and/or instigating caring courageous conduct & constructive collaboration:

Jason Anthony Field Guide to the Anthropocene, Karen Auvinen A Woman’s Place is in the Wild, Karen Davis Life in the Real World, Bill Davison Easy by Nature, Julie Gabrielli Homecoming, Sally Gillespie Psyche’s Nest, Robin Motzer Wildlands, Mary Beth Rew Hicks Sea Cow, Melissa Lee Notes from Nature, Jeanne Malmgren Rx Nature, Bryan Pfeiffer Chasing Nature, Leah Rampy Reweaving Earth & Soul, Susan J Tweit Cultivating Terraphilia with Susan J Tweit.

We thank them, all Earth devotees, and you, concerned caring reader, for perusing Pausing for Ponderings and participating with your perspectives.

May Earth’s kind children
resist damaging forces.
Present, and in plans.

Pauses were phone-photographed while roaming around North America in 2024-2026. Some ponderings, poems, prayers and pixels on this post were harvested from our previously published Extraordinary, Eloquent Earth: Essential, endangered and Prayers Petitions for Planet’s Prospects: Blessings beads for breaths and beats

Resonate?

Kind kin, heart 💚, restack ♻️, quote “ ”, share 🌍, to spread these ever-free seed pod posts 🌱?

Recommend?

Consider, perhaps,
a Pausing for Ponderings
recommendation?

Respond?

On this year’s ‘Earth Day,’
what say you, fellow Earthlings?
Wows and woes welcome.

Care to comment with your ponderings, projects, prayers?
Mention your and other publications aligned with our intentions?