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
Thank you, Chelsea, for the heartfelt and beautiful poem.
Susan
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!
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.