Friday, October 28, 2016

The Way



We'Moon Datebook 2016 with art and poetry by women

The way the young apprentices, full of hope,
count seeds at Vandana Shiva’s farm.
The way the thin, nervous girl, damaged by war,
throws back her head and sings.
The way Wangari Maathai taught us
to plant trees in tin cans,
making Kenya green again.
The way the women of Sahara Peace Choir come to sing,
envisioning a green city park under the tar.
The way Lisa Shannon laughs in the face of violence,
running for her sisters in Somalia and the Congo.
The way two round women rise to dance,
their hands gesturing aloft,
constructing a future of wonder before our eyes.
The way a shimmering ray of sunshine
cuts through the fog and lands at our feet.
We meet in Love, in Honoring, and in Passion!
We create a new world,
as the old world breaks down all around us,
and we just let it.
This is the way.




Annelinde Metzner

July 9, 2014

Right now, for the week of October 24th, 2016, my poem, "The Way," is featured in the We'Moon Datebook.  I am so happy and proud to have three poems included in this wonderful anthology of works by women.  
     In this poem, I have a world view encompassing strong women from all over the globe such as Wangari Maathai (deceased now) of Kenya and Vandana Shiva of India.  Their brilliant and tireless work for women and the planet is shaping the future for all of us.  
     And, the small daily acts of women you know, nearby, in your own neighborhood.  Thus I include Sahara Peace Choir of Asheville, which I direct.  This photo is from a singing demonstration at our basilica, to help lobby for more green space instead of a parking lot!



Vandana Shiva developing and protecting heirloom seeds


Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) organizing reforesting in Kenya


Sahara Peace Choir singing for green space in Asheville









Saturday, October 15, 2016

Autumn Fullness




Gathering Catskill apples


Such abundant richness!
Apples ripening, apples of Avalon,
every grain at its fullest,
amaranth, oats and wheat.
Milkweed pods, ready for Monarchs,
about to burst open and float away.
Goldenrod flowers bend on their stalks.
Blackberries, raspberries for the bear’s delight.
There is no coolness yet, no frost,
but still, we are storing away,
all living beings, storing away,
aware at some level of the icy cold to come.
Autumn! Why have I not seen your fullness,
your round abundance, your gifts?
Seed after seed on the underside of ferns.
Burrs clinging to our clothes.
Dragonflies dip and soar across the field,
bees and hummingbirds gorging.
Oh, round fullness of Autumn!
My mouth opens:  feed me.


Annelinde Metzner
September 1, 2015