Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets. On Tuesday, I was looking for Earth Day-related poems and found his An Earth Song. I’d never seen or read it as far as I can remember–how had I missed it?!
I could read it to you…but instead, Brian Cox stepped up!
Read it one more time to take in that joyous rhythm…(Did you know that houseplants and pets love to hear you read poetry?)
The yearning. The energy of spring’s return. The sensuousness. A body song, A spring song…
Expressing our love for the Earth, for nature’s cycles, for all that’s alive around us, for life force itself…is essential. It helps us to remember why we’re willing to stand up, speak out, imagine and create a more equitable world. Maybe especially now, when so much feels at stake.
Inspired by Langston Hughes, here’s a prompt to write your Earth Song.
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Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: Begin with your senses. Start with spring. List all of the intoxicating spring smells that come from nature, all that you see coming to life, sounds that you hear in the natural world (a rain storm, birdsong, the wind, etc.).
You can begin writing your song with Hughes opening line:
It’s an earth song.
Feel free to use repetition like he does. Write in simple language and phrases. Write out what you love about this earth, write all that’s worthy of our protection.
Read YOUR earth song out loud. Share it with a friend. Encourage them to write their own!
Spiritual Practice for the week ahead: Keep the energy of your earth song going strong! Experience the sensuality of springtimes–its smells, tastes, sounds, colors. Keep a journal of what you notice. Imagine the beauty of spring as you close your eyes at night.
Join us forPlanting Seeds, Writing Hope(starting 4/28). As a subscriber to Journey With the Seasons, you receive discounts when registering! Enter this coupon for $7 off class fee: efyy8gna.
