Claire's Corner: Coming Home to Earth

Poetry from Claire Sylvan’s book, Turnings

Coming Home to Earth

O Mother I have wandered,
Have spread only a quick nod, a wave, 
Hiding my own need for you, ignoring
My deep and complex rooting in your heart.

You have called me, yes,
And all the tendrils of your love and care
Still yearn to fold me in, return me home,
No matter how far, how long
I may wander with shielded eyes, sleepy
With other concerns, or howling my outrage
So loud I cannot hear your sweet murmur,
…Come home…

Patient as mountains, patient as the rivers
Of kindness that nourish all in your embrace,
You sing ancient rhythms, your ebb and flow
My blood.
I have only to stop, to listen, and you are there.

Let me rest deep within your bedrock,
Dance among the wild branches of winter, swim
The surge of your spring rivers, grow and blossom
From your rich and teeming soil;
Let my whole body
Know the exquisite touch of yours,
And finally know, in every cell,
That we are not separate, nor have ever been.

About Claire Sylvan

Born within earshot of the Atlantic, on the rugged westernmost coast of Cornwall, England, Claire has a deep affinity for rocks, water, and sacred places on earth.

Claire has lived, worked, and raised a family in Haliburton County amidst good kind friends for 35 years and 8 years in friendly Almonte. She and her partner, Bev, are known as "the Grannies" to an ever increasing population of wondrous children.