Hope and Resilience

Hope and Resilience
- a poem for my farmer uncle

Bare hands and feet
work the ground,
season in 
season out
and like now
in seasons 
out of bounds.

Hands, feet and soul 
feel earths call
a call to caution
of times to come.

He tells me of
times 
when the earth 
frolicked like
a young thing unbound
she was happy
she was nurtured
her laughter
spoke in the
seeds and fields of coriander
peanuts, coconuts on the yonder.

Swaying fields of crops
aroma in summer air
memories of another day.
Days that stay
in memory 
reminding me of work 
still to be done.

A promise to keep
for those bare hands and feet
working the ground
trying to understand
why the earth
is changing her mind
her wind, her rain
leaving the soil and people 
waiting in vain.

Get to work he says
my farmer uncle,
even as he is laid to rest
in the bosom of his mother
he lies to rest.
His tired hands
feet and soul
now free of the wait
for rains, sun and steady winds
his constant companions
to tend the seeds he saved.

I promise you my farmer uncle
I will work till its my time to rest
do my best
to gather my community
around the stories
of hands, feet and soul that work
with earth, water and seeds,

Remind people he says
the earth, water and seeds,
belong to all,
they are ours to nurture,
ours to care
ours to stand up for
and save.

Climate change is a reminder
he says
of corporate plans
gone awry.
Climate hope he says, this farmer uncle 
resting himself with fellow microbes
as I write,
Climate hope is 
the seeds we save
the seeds we nurture
the seeds we share
seeds bring us together
to the table
to celebrate
natures nourishing blessings
gently reminding
we are only passengers
on this ride
we call life, 
a reminder
to care when you can
for the train that offers
such a wonderful ride.