I watched as he built
A pour of concrete
Sand and stone
Iron grills and the taking of shape
Is there legacy to everything we build?
He hammers on, chipping away
Adding strength
As his own melts in sweat and strain
There have been earthships lasting generations
A much gentler process
Soil to soil
Touch of warm, breeding love and life
A cycle of transient memories
Ebbs of reinforcement
Learning of life and humility
When did the soft edges shift?
Men of earth,
seeking staunch permanence
And I was reminded of words by Wendell Berry
“What I fear in it leaves it,
I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
Around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
Where I left them, asleep like cattle…
Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
And the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.”
A quite dawn
I never ceased to be a woman of earth