Earth, Sister Earth

Teach us
To continue the Creation
To help the seeds
To multiply,
Giving food
For the people
And for the beasts.

Teach us
To further the joy
You never tire of offering
When weary travelers find you,
A signpost to their home.

Teach us
To make the horizon
Become a beautiful image
Of Creation's grandeur.

Teach us
To accept
The meditation of those
Who wish to unite us
To our fellows,
As we accept the gift
Of the water that binds
Land to land,
No matter how great the distances!

What do you suffer
In the dust of the deserts?
How do you look upon
Those of us who,
Though capable of transforming
The waste to lushness,
Prefer to be creators
Of barrenness?

And how do you rejoice
In the rain
That brings forth your fruits?
nd what pain do you feel
At the storms
That drown you with floods,
Destroying plantations,
Crushing houses and lives
Of animals, of plants, of people?

How great is the lesson
You give us,
O Earth,
More than sister:
Our Mother Earth!

All our lives
We walk carelessly across you,
And when life leaves us,
With no shadow of resentment,
You open up to us
Your maternal bosom
To keep our flesh,
Our ashes,
For the joy
Of the resurrection.