Birth Canal

I come from the forest,
from the Mother Tree,
who grew from the misty center
of this tree cathedral
who gradually became the soil.

I come from the soil—
chips of wood and mineral grains—
catching moisture
and feeding the roots
of this tree circle

I come from the mountains
from the wind that blows over them
from the streams that cut through them
and the rocks that tumble from them

I come from the ages tumbling
from mountain to river to sea

I come from the salty sea

I come from a time I cannot remember
I come from forms I cannot remember
I come from all time and all forms—
fire and ocean, mountain and tree,
prayer and chaos and grace.

— Purple Hazel Green

2004