Earth is Not an "It"

 

"When the people call Earth 'Mother,'
they take with love
and with love give back
so that all may live.

"When the people call Earth 'it,'
they use her
consume her strength
Then the people die.

"Already the sun is hot
out of season.
Our mother's breast is going dry.
She is taking all green into her heart
and will not turn back
until we call her by her name."

 

Marilou Awiakta,
Cherokee Nation

Photos: (Top) Long's Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; May 19, 2014; (Middle) A hiker contemplates on the rock above Gem Lake; Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; May 19, 2014; (Bottom)  A lone Lambert Crazyweed pushes up through the cracked soil; Badlands National Park, SD; May 17, 2014