Where There Are Trees

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By Chelsea Frisbee

Recorded by author

Where there are trees
being trees,
still and dormant in winter,
stretching and thriving in summer,
there
I am alive, too.

Where there is open sky,
views far out to mountains and clouds,
where sun melts snow even at 15 degrees,
where wind is an invitation to breathe,
there
I can breathe, too.

Where there are flowing streams
cascading down steep banks,
laughing and chattering after the big rain,
roaring their delight across the narrow valley,
there
I can move, too.

Teach me, mother
earth.
Teach me
how to live.


Chelsea Frisbee is a writer, coach, and farmer based in rural upstate New York. She is happiest when singing by the river, catching poems in the field, or leading groups of women through earth-based spiritual exploration and deep connection. Through her work, she connects people to the natural world, to their truest selves, and to deeper meaning and purpose. Her debut book, A Journey of Light, is a collaboration with her late mother, Susan Woodworth, and includes interwoven poetry, essays, and reflections to create a shared mother-daughter story as together they navigate uncertainty, loss, and grief.

Biography recorded by Rebecca Selove

3 thoughts on “Where There Are Trees

  1. Thank you for this, Chelsea – from one farmer (in northern california) to another! We always start our farm days with a poem. i will read this at our next workday!

  2. Thank you Chelsea for helping me see the enjoyment in the simplicity of nature. The spirit of nature is in all of us – free, giving, enlivening.

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