ROOTED

i cannot see your feet
beneath the table,
so I do not know
if they’ve taken root
in the soil,
casting branches
like inverted trees
deep into the earth.

if they have,
i know that you are nourished
by the light that kisses your face,
the rain that washes you clean,
and the clouds
that provide the shade
that cools your skin
as they sail across the sky.

if they have,
i know that you are the grass
that softly waves hello
to the poppies and sunflowers
that grow in the meadows
in ribbons of red
and banners of yellow.

if they have,
i know that you sing
with the voice of every bird
and hum with every bee,
whistling through the hollows and caves
in whispered thoughts of love and devotion
to the creatures sheltered by them.

if they have,
i know that you are the stars
spangling the sky,
cradling the moon,
and casting a silver glow
on everything below.

if they have,
i know that you are the mothers
that rock your babies,
the fathers that wipe away the tears,
and the children who dance in the fields
as their cells multiply
and grow them tall and strong
into the mothers and fathers
who rock their babies
and wipe away their tears.

if they have,
i know that the Earth
breathes with your every breath,
pulsing with Life
whether you wake or slumber,
in dreams, Truth, or stillness.

if they have
or have not,
i know that Life is Present
in the beginning,
and the middle,
and the end.