Meeting You Where Your Roots Grow
Mary Ruzzel Morales

You might be dreaming of your growth
Have you been dreaming of your roots?
When you were careless running through the grass
That grew amidst the raging water that came before

Up the tree, you go with the birds free to chirp
The past and the present intertwine like branches
As a bird passes by when you pray homage to the falls of Masungi
Dipping your weary body and soul to the coldness of the flow

Memories spiral back and forth
Like the river meeting the ocean
Carrying the wisdom of the Sierra Madre to the shore
Accepting whatever remains of the struggles there are in the middle of the forest

So when your banks can no longer hold the rage of your water Know that you are connected to the Ocean: steaming with life As your branch reaches up to the sky and feels so small in the vastness of it all Know that your roots may not be seen but…

It is deep—connecting, remembering, grounding
Holding you in all your forms
Reaching deep within the solid ground
Carrying the wisdom of the forest:

“You are all these but always, always— you are more”

This poem sprouted in the Philippines, in response to “Where are your roots?”.

This contribution is from Poets for Climate, a collaborative project among the branches of The Climate Reality Project in the Philippines, Africa, and Canada in support of When Is Now. The Agam Agenda, together with mentors from each branch, facilitated virtual Pebble Poem Workshops for Climate Reality Leaders every Thursday from 4 August to 1 September 2022. This is one of the many poems that emerged from the workshops. Read more.