Belonging

I have survived so much
but mostly I have
survived myself
with a deep longing
for true belonging

I have survived my need
to fit in and do the things
that everyone else
believes I was born to do

I have outlived the fear
of being outcast from all
that I love and that
which quietly loves me back

I have found in mossy silence
the deepest root
that lies in the darkest
soil close to the core
of the earth where
sand becomes fire
where nothing lives except
sparks of future life
that hide the secret
all of us have forgotten

We belong to the earth
we are one with the stars
there are rivers that whisper
‘you are mine’
and rocks that recognise
the hardiness of your bones

Now is the time to claim
our belonging
to fight for our place
in the universe
to become
the keepers of the earth
the gazers at the stars
to become
keepers of our own belonging

© Tanya Southey
#52words52weeks