War Drums

Deep passion for earth.

Listen to the icy rain pounding the earth.
The rich black soil crumbles under the cascading water.
Our Mother is opening her lungs, 
taking a deep breath,
blowing a frigid gust over this shivering land.

Mother, beautiful green Lady, shields me from civilization, 
and its hollow people and cacophonous noises.
Her forests shift and creak,
the trees shouldering against the wind.
There is a symphony of taps and sighs,
the melody of raindrops whispering through branches
that are gnarled high above my head.

They crash into my skin.
Alone they are weak, but as a whole they make me shiver.
My head tilts back. I listen. I wait.

And Mother speaks to me.
We children of the wilderness listen. 
I unfurl myself like an infant flower,
and hungrily drink the downpour. 
She speaks in a heartbeat, 
a steady pounding not in my ears but
up through the soles of my feet and
into my bones,  
in a voice old and wise,
a voice from deep beneath the surface. 

She speaks like a tribe coming proudly
to the battle of ages.
A deep, subtle cry that few can hear,
a beat that echoes fluidly between
each ancient oak tree. 
She hums. She whispers.
Her voice is the feral pulse of war drums.

Author's Note

Please leave all thoughts. :)

Reviews

[floraleverything]

I'm just going to give a little word vomit here and say when I saw the title I couldn't help but to think of Les Miserables. Oops. Anyway, I'm still getting a feel for your style, but I love what I've read so far. You seem to have a sophisticated tone to your writing, but you manage to keep it grounded and fun to read. Very Nice.

[Einstein Noodle]

if only all were in tune with the creative edge of poetry .. perhaps peace on earth would not be so far out of grasp .. the somber warning in your poem makes me shiver ... when Mother dies so we all :{
E.

[Don't just B, but B ama..]

Awesome poetry and writing. I am amazed at the popularity of this round about topic I am seeing. I found a writing contest www.truthcontest.com which sparked my story/entry here http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Bamazing/1459918/ The last paragraph explains how my first manuscript had me stumble across this contest. I think you poem is beautiful, and you may consider entering the contest too. Thanks for sharing! Happy Holidays to all.

[Laura Lynn]

This is breathtaking, this is how to see our earth, the mother that holds us, when we have no roots taken for granted we are both connected and free in the frail net neither too close or too distant, but in the exact right place, there is little tension but a little, the way a violin string will break if wound too tight or plays not at all too loose

[Nessie_AJ]

I love how you kept the "war drums" analogy until the end and I love what you've done with Earth and nature! Good job!