The Envelope
A Free Form Poem Dedicated to The Greatest Mothers of All
Our life takes place in an envelope where we are stuck for eternity.
Our very own envelope, one we share with body language and words. Able to look deeply into another’s eyes for only a moment, we may feel content, and embraced. We may feel trapped, wishing to be freed by our Creator, as if it’s possible to be rescued from a life sentence.
All living beings feel these ways, like a seedling who pushes through concrete to fulfill the birthright passed on from ancient ancestors to witness the light of a new envelope. As the first seeds the first Gardener planted pushed the first Machine out of the way in the very beginning.
Nature rules. Animal mothers everywhere cuddle and snuggle their young or leave them to fend for themselves.
If they survive, they prove their worth by sharing their unique way of navigating through the challenges — the demands of this problem-saturated life. They grow to become parents and pass on their knowledge to the diversity of beings with whom we share the Greatest Envelope of All.
Her entire body enveloped in a bright yellow halo
Enchanting the sparkling Sun on a hot afternoon
Our Creator sits quietly at a modest outdoor two-seater table
Lightly greying hair wisps throw tendrils into the breeze
An aura of resplendent lavender meanders
Her curious blue-green eyes track bees
Excitedly dancing to the cross-pollination buzz
She puckers Her lips, gently sipping herbal tea
As a potent rosemary scent tickles Her nose with delight
Breathing deeply without disturbing Nature’s symphony
She joins a prayer of wonder and honors the Life of the Cosmos
Birthed by Her own Great Mother
As She prepares to add one more Envelope to the Wonder of Creation
Like a leaf fluttering up in wind-cushioned freefall
A timeless, velvety soft auburn hand lifts off Her lap
Approaches a quill awaiting her instructions
Well-worn fingers tenderly hold a trickle of hope
To share a willing and velvety touch
With the calm of an eternally warm smile
She knows the ocean of suffering yearns for the comfort
Her quill dips then lope along parchment
Penning out the most prayerful verse She can imagine
Great Mother selects an envelope
Large enough to contain all the lives in our whole world
Fingers open the flap and place our world inside
She moistens glue along a V-shaped edge
Folds down the flap
Presses it smooth
But even with Her greatest care
Some bond seeps out
Lucky for us, some places don’t seal
Leaving gaps for air to blow, water to soak, and dust to get in
Time gathers these puffs, drops, and clouds
Into our paper universe
We think they are wind, rain, and earth
They may as well be
Great Mother hears a ring
Grunts then smirks
Tosses our paper container
Watches it slide and land safely on the desk
She returns
Carrying liquid, splashing, spilling
Dripping raindrops into our world
Her footsteps kicked up puffs of dust
Reaching beyond the taste of our envelope
We caught glimpses of our Creator, our Great Mother
With others of Her kind
Her Tribe embraces the message
Our Great Mother wrote into our being
Enveloped within Her
Unopened envelope
Sitting on Her desk
Inspired by Her story
Emboldened to share her message
We write our own letters
Passing on Her sacred elements to our children
Fully embraced by Her Envelope
We sway with Her wind
Flow with Her tides
Orbit with Her Earth
Spring from Her pen
Above the well-watered and dusty-grey clouds of Earth
A uniform cerulean blue layer thinly envelopes us
We build our home with Great Mother’s gifts
Is anyone anticipating even a note from Great Mother?
Will someone open Her envelope?
Will anyone find us living in Her vessel?
Will they learn of Us? Her words? Her way of understanding?
Where did our Great Mother go?
Of these questions
We understand little
Not only the Shamans
The Great Mother Trees and the Great Whale Mothers too —
Speak these words in Her Tribe’s ancient tongue:
“We bring this Holy Communion together
We honor the spirit of our Creator who feeds us freely
Let us join in praying for the First-Rooted Flower-Mothers who protect and help us”
May we remember our Great Mother
Timeless language deep inside
Thankfully, safe from harm
Even though she is gone
May we all live by the wisdom in her Words
As a new concept is slowly embraced
Do we dare tear away the bonds that have kept us safe?
How safe is it to push the envelope?
To reach out beyond the rules…
Do we dare to peak out far enough?
Can we bear our fate of being embraced forever?
Whole languages flicker light through cracks in a sundried envelope
Darkness embraces the lightness of words
Colors capture us all at once
Our Great Mother sits outside a pink, translucent veil
But is no longer able to ensure our safety
Until we commit to Her our desire to serve
Beckoned to return to consciousness
A letter-opener’s quick flick tears through
The envelope of sleep as awakening slowly dawns
Still glued shut, eyes refuse to open
Fearing the overwhelming light of truth
Set free from one envelope, we enter another
We have learned to be Great Mothers
Writing the greatest letters
Though we tear easily
We choose the best envelopes
To honor and hold all offspring in our warm embrace
For we will never let them go
