Poetry

Pachamama

An homage to Mother Earth

Photo of the poet at the Pumamarca Ruins. Credit: Sharon Manni.

Majestic mountains dusted with clouds
Embrace me
Their verdant peaks rise toward the heavens
Piercing the sky
Enveloping the valley
A sacred, safe haven
I’m a foreign girl in this indigenous land
Yet I am welcome
“I’ve got you,” Pachamama says

Bare feet firmly on the earth
Tender soul open to the sky
Climbing over rocks and roots
Like a puma
Brazen
Walking among ancient spirits
In a commune of crumbled stone
An Incan fortress, decadent in its decay
Breathtaking
Literally
Atop this mountain the air is thin
But I am grounded
“I’ve got you,” Pachamama says

We sit at her feet
Place coca leaves on her rocky ledge
And listen
Lean our foreheads and hands on her
Cool shoulder
Singing and chanting soothe
The nettle’s sting
“I’ve got you,” Pachamama says

We follow the surging Urubamba,
The mirror of the Milky Way,
To the Andes’ crown jewel
On an emerald trail
With Pachamama beneath us
We touch the sky
The clouds meet our gaze
Filled with wonder
We wander the sky-high terraces and temples
Watch your step!
Alpaca dung dots the earth
“I’ve got you,” Pachamama says

That night
Under the Southern Cross I whisper
“I’ve got YOU, Pachamama”

This poem was inspired by my recent trip to the Sacred Valley, Pumamarca Ruins and Machu Picchu in Peru. It is the gift that keeps on giving. Here is my prose version:

Peru, You Kicked Me Further Out of My Comfort Zone than I’ve Ever Been