I am alive when you touch me, for I touch you

As you know me, I know you

Watch me as I lean into or away from

One element, open to another; who in turn leans into

Or veers from my earthy scent and rough caress



We all are seeking

Yearning to explore, be explored

To understand, to be understood

To penetrate, root into and connect with life

Stretching limbs and roots into the unknown

To touch and to know we are alive


There is roughness

That is part of truth

A toughness that comes with survival

Traces are left behind when we expand into each other's worlds

We are affected by all who come to give, who come to take

Bent branches, faded foliage, scarred skin

Do these markings make us less or more