A Love Poem for My Mother, On Earth Day by Candice Rose Valenzuela

I wrote this poem in observance of Earth Day, April 22nd 2014, and it was inspired by the work of Audre Lorde, Starhawk and Christine Hoff Kraemer in their discussion of the powerful erotic pulse underpinning our connection with ourselves and with all beings on Earth. 

as a child, i spent a lot of time wondering what love is.
and this was because

expressions of it around me were unclear, inconsistent, fleeting or unnamed

but mostly because no one

could teach me to see

what they themselves were blind to.

this is for my Mother. To let her know I see.

Love is glaciers undressing under the sunshine
and racing down the mountain slopes
jumping over rocks and slipping between trees
tickling over toes and stopping at nothing

to meet their lover, the Sea

Love is Seedling
cradled tightly and snugly within
the shell-like womb, listening, waiting,
for the perfect moment

the just right amount of moisture, warmth, sun and nutrient to break
against it’s inner walls
and send green shoots forth
slowly steadily silently
simultaneously
reaching for both Earth and Sun
seeing no competition in the call of its affection, in it’s pure love

Love is flower
unabashedly pretty
glowing in the sunlight
fanning it’s self in the wind
subtly shouting- love me! love me!
and relentlessly gathering the attention of every passersby
titillating every Hummingbird and every Bee
and Love is still
when she tires and retreats, giving her water back to the Air and Sky,
and gives herself into the arms of her one true love,
surrendering & dissolving into Love itself

and Love is Stone
in utter stillness she carries
the knowledge the wisdom the stories
of many loves born and returned to the Source
she is the daughter of forces even stronger than herself
earth, sand, mineral, water, heat and pressure
she was once many things
and now she holds all her memories in her rock-belly
and understands Love fully
she has no where to go, or nothing left to seek, only
left to be Love.
As easily as she holds it, she will give it Away.

Love is Blood, Water and Cells
immersed in an unseen dance
only with eyes for each other
they make love and make war
give unto each other and
take in the same breath
and struggle for homeostasis
undauntingly unfalteringly
Until.
They don’t.
But when some weapon, some injury
some threat rise against them, they
are surely one army
rushing to the site of pain, sacrificing themselves to
the only Love they have greater than themselves,
Me.

Love is Wind. In an unstoppable effort to touch
all that lives, breathes, rests, moves and exists
she seldom rests herself
for she cannot stop herself
from tickling, slapping, moaning, twirling,
screaming and sometimes destroying
all that she loves.

Love is Mother Earth always desiring Herself, always giving everything of Herself,
always surrendering Herself unto Herself, & then demanding everything back.
Love is
never quite possessing all that She desires
for how can She own all that She Is?

Do not only wonder what Love is,
ask yourself, Who Am I?

for we are the sons and daughters of Love Herself

Candice Rose Valenzuela has been mentoring, teaching and organizing inner-city youth for the past nine years. She has a Masters in East-West Psychology from the California Institute for Integral Studies, and works as a wellness coach to integrate mindfulness and holistic health into teacher development, support and training.