by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

An Awkward Conversation with Mother Earth

Image by Comfreak from Pixabay

An Awkward Conversation with Mother Earth

(Words of Mother Earth are in green.)

Mother Earth, you’re looking rather sickly!

Tell me what you need, and I’ll do it quickly.

It would help if you recycle…That’s easy to do.

I’m too busy to recycle. Wish I could help you.

Use nontoxic fertilizers and pest controls in your yard.

I’m sorry Mother Earth, but that sounds too hard!

You could choose organic food or drive an electric car.

I really want to help, but I couldn’t go that far.

Isn’t there something less costly that I could do?

Something less demanding, yet helpful to you?

You could vote for green energy or sign a petition.

Mother Earth, I am filled with contrition…

I am staunchly apolitical and maybe apathetic too.

Find someone else to take care of you!

If altruism isn’t something you can relate to,

maybe your own self-interest will motivate you!

Wouldn’t you enjoy cleaner water and air,

walking in the woods to see animals living there?

Maybe you love the oceans and want dolphins to thrive

or hope that your children will have long, healthy lives…

I’ll think about it, Mother Earth, but I really must go…

We’re taking the kids to see a science fiction show!

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

Earth Day is April 22nd!

To My Valued Fellow Bloggers,

I am sorry that I am so far behind with reading emails. I really wasn’t intending to take a break, but I have had a worsening fibromyalgia flare over the last few weeks. Though I have had fibromyalgia for over thirty years, flares are rare and usually only last a day or two. I have been dealing with some stressful issues and trying to do too much.

The good news is that energy and mental clarity are starting to return. I need to take it slow, but I will do my best to keep in touch. Thank you for understanding. ❤

I have a test and a couple of doctor’s visits coming up this month. It seems we may have found dietary solutions to the digestive issues. Too much caffeine and chocolate seem to be behind the tachycardia and palpitations. Time will tell. I finally got my first covid19 vaccine.

Happy Earth Day!

Cheryl

92 Comments

  1. I like the visual and conversational components of these poetic verses. Well done, Cheryl.
    Yay for your first shot! Hubby’s set for his first shot tomorrow and I’ll be getting my second the 20th.
    So sorry to hear of your fibromyalgia flare-up, that’s a hideous condition & harder still to manage.
    Take care
    peace,
    Laura

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    1. Thank you, Laura, for your kind and encouraging words. ❤ Glad you liked the poem. I am thankful for the vaccine and think it is key to ending the pandemic. My second shot is on the 29th. Last time I just had a sore arm. All the best to you and your husband! 🙂

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  3. Really sorry to know you haven’t been keeping well Cheryl. And much encouraging to know that things are starting to look up, and the dietary and medical needs are identified. Please have soon good rest, recover well.
    Great that you had the jab, hope is a big factor in riding out this terrible pandemic, and a lot of hope is strungg around the vaccine today.

    Coming to the poem, it was delightful right from the first illustration of mother Earth. The poem flows so easily, is so well rhymed, uses both positive and negative sarcasm to show the suffering of mother Earth and the apathy of us humans. And the use of colours to indicate a dialogue is a new idea to me.

    Beautiful read Cheryl 💖 much enjoyable and thanks for sharing. I wish you a quick recovery and back to happy health soon.

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    1. Thank you so much, Deb, for your kind words and encouragement. ❤ I am grateful for the vaccine and believe that it is key to ending the pandemic.

      I have come to the realization that I can no longer push as hard as I am used to doing, and am trying to pace myself.

      It means a lot to me that you enjoyed the poem. I so appreciate your detailed critique.

      Hope you are doing well! 🙂

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  4. such a sweet and important poem Cheyrl! I LOVE it.
    I have looked everyday for your poems and thought you might be dealing with some things as it’s not like you to be gone for this long. I’m so glad you’re doing better. Big hugs and love and keep taking good care of you! 💖💖💖💖🌷🌷🌷🤗🤗🤗🙏🙏🙏🙏

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments and encouragement, Cindy! Things are going somewhat better and I am starting to feel like myself again. It is hard as time goes on to realize that you must not push as hard as you are used to doing. 🙂 Means a lot that you enjoyed the poem. ❤ Take care yourself! 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      1. You’re so welcome Cheryl. It sounds like you’re taking it easy and being wise which is so good to hear. It is tough to realize we have limitations and dealing with our new normal. It was a wonderful much needed poem!! 💖

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  5. Hey Cheryl. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been struggling. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better. Take it easy – that’s exactly what Mother Earth wants from us. To slow down and enjoy. Lovely poem as always. 🙏

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  7. Dear Cheryl, good to see you back with an excellent poem. ❤️❤️ This is so an important thing to deal with, many don’t realise how they pollute the mother earth including me! 😔😔
    Take care of your health, good that you are getting better. ❤️❤️ Love and prayers 🤗😍

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  8. Such an enlightening dialogue with Mother Earth Cheryl. There is so much we need to do.

    So sad to know about the flare up of your condition. But good to hear you are better now. Shall keep you in my healing prayers 🙏🙏

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  9. Was missing you and your warmth here Cheryl. Glad that your health issues are improving and you got your first jab. I too got mine last week. Please take care and stay safe.❤️
    Your pic and conversation is definitely food for thought. If we neglect mother earth today tomorrow there may be no home for our kids. I do hope we wake up in time to hear her pleas.

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    1. Thank you Radikha, for your kind, thoughtful remarks. Glad you got your shot. Sometimes the problems facing the planet seem so overwhelming, but if we all do what we can, maybe we can turn the situation around. ❤ Have a great weekend!

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  11. This was such an amazing post! Loved this very visual conversation with Mother Earth, there’s so much we really need to do to make up to her.

    Yay for your 1st shot! I hope you’ll be doing okay, and take care of your health! ❤

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    1. Thank you so much for your encouraging words. ❤ "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" as the saying goes. It is the young people who inherit the destruction caused by human greed and selfishness. It weighs on my mind, and I hope we can return the planet to health.

      You also stay safe and be happy! Enjoy your weekend! 🙂

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  12. It is lovely to see you back, Cheryl, I am just sorry to hear you have been ill. I love your poem: some people are happy to talk the talk but they don’t want to walk the walk. Apathy is almost as bad as actively damaging the earth! 🌎🌲❤️

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    1. Ingrid, thank you for sharing your perspective and for your kind wishes. ❤ I heartily agree that apathy is almost as bad as actively damaging the earth! Lipservice just doesn't cut it, and we all need to do our part. Maybe if we work together, we can exert enough influence to bring about significant and needed change.

      I am feeling much better. My energy is coming back and mental clarity has returned. I just can't push myself as hard anymore as I have always done! 🙂

      Hope you and your family have a relaxing and joyous weekend! ❤

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  13. Dear Cheryl, I am so sorry that someone so special has debilitating health problems, yet can write such poignant, cleave and inspiring poems. I love this one so much that I am going to copy it and keep close by as a reminder.
    I do hope that you will get better soon!

    Joanna

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    1. Joanna, thank you for your kind response to the poem. If we all do whatever we can, such as using environmentally friendly methods as you do in your lovely garden, maybe we can solve our environmental problems.

      Thank you for your good wishes for my health. I am feeling better physically and my mental clarity has returned. This experience has brought home to me that I can no longer push myself as relentlessly as I have always done. I really must alternate work with exercise and rest. Just taking a break to go outside and water the plants this morning was refreshing.

      Have a wonderful weekend! ❤

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    1. Thank you so much, Eugenia, for your kind response and good wishes. ❤ I watched the sunrise this morning and went out to water the plants. I am feeling better physically, and my mental clarity is much improved. Just can't push as hard as I used to anymore! 🙂 You too, take care and have a fantastic weekend!

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    1. Thank you, David, for your thoughtful remarks and kind wishes. ❤ I am feeling a little better every day and have come to the realization that I can no longer push myself like I always have. 🙂

      I totally agree that the climate crisis is job one! I hope to see the environmental problems starting to be solved in my lifetime. Have a great weekend, David! ❤

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  18. Oh no! You’ll have to give up coffee? Shoot me now! 😉

    I’m just kidding. My wife gave up caffeine some years back, along with other things, and her horrific migraines stopped. She’s never been healthier.

    I wish you good health, Cheryl.

    Shabbat shalom,
    David

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    1. Thank you “D” for your insightful comment and kind wishes. I am glad you liked the poem and found it relatable to life today. If we all work together and do our part, maybe there is still time to save the environment.

      I am feeling much better, and mental clarity has returned. I just need to alternate work with rest and exercise and can’t push myself as hard as I used to. You also, stay safe and be happy! ❤

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    1. Thank you, Michel, for your kind comment and concern. I haven’t been in pain. just very fatigued. My energy level is improving, and mental clarity has returned. From this experience, I have learned that I can no longer push myself as I have always done, but must alternate work with rest and exercise. I think I will be fine if I apply a little common sense. 🙂

      I hope you are well and enjoying the flowers and sunshine in your garden. Regards to Janine!

      Love ❤
      Cheryl

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  21. A real conversation with Mother Earth, so truthful and beautiful 💛 sad truths that keep us from a life of beauty, gifts taken for granted.

    Truly wishing you ease, joy, wellness and fullest recovery at the soonest ✨✨✨✨✨✨

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    1. Thank you, Pragalba, for your thoughtful analysis. I agree with all you have said. It is very sad that we take the natural world for granted, rather than protecting it. We can do much better! 🙂

      Thank you for your good wishes. My energy is returning and mental clarity has returned. This experience has taught me not to push as hard as I have always done. I need to pace myself and alternate activities in order to avoid exhaustion in the future.

      I hope all is well with you! ❤

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    1. Subbashini, Thank you from my heart for your meaningful comment. It is indeed time to turn words into action. ❤ In my lifetime, I hope to see people all over the world working together for a healthier environment. We will do whatever we can, whether a painting of nature’s beauty, poem, speech, our vote, or planting a tree…Have a beautiful week ahead!

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  25. The older I get, the better my body gets at telling me to slow down and clarify my priorities. Doing what I can for Mother Earth has been one of them, even if it’s just recycling and eating more organic, lower on the food chain… Please take good care of yourself, Cheryl. You and Mother Earth are precious and valuable.

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    1. JoAnna, if everyone did their part, we might be able to solve our environmental problems. Eating organic when you can is good for the environment and good for your health, too. Thank you for your kind comments and good advice. I will do my best. You also, take good care of yourself. ❤ Have a great week!

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    1. Thank you, Paul, for your kind comment. I prefer to write more positive poems, but this is a topic that weighs on my mind. I feel terrible about the environmental legacy we are leaving to future generations, and hope to see some improvement in my lifetime.

      All the best! ❤

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  28. Inspiring conversation. Telling what our Earth needs and its high time we should start loving it.
    Glad that you are feeling energetic. And also you got the first Covid vaccine. Your health is improving which is an amazing news. Take care. Do not stress much.
    Stay healthy you and Robert!

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      1. My pleasure always kindly 🙂
        Hope things start now to have a better future but sadly its just words. We need to work upon it.
        You too stay safe and happy always (Heart)

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  29. wishing both you and our earth a swift and complete recovery!

    You really nailed it, this is a super awesome poem

    I tried to encourage one group to be more active in saving our planet … they claimed they were doing everything possible as they made their cuppas in/with one use plastics 😦

    It horrified me! Are they stupid or just blatantly careless …

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    1. Wow, Kate, It looks like more environmental education is still needed! We have the technology to make non-toxic, biodegradable “plastics” from corn and other plants. We need to make that change. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle can make a huge difference. We can phase out fossil fuels. Organic foods are healthier for people and the environment. The knowledge is out there. How can people be so oblivious?

      You, too, take good care of yourself. Stay well and be happy! ❤

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      1. I’ve been passionate about my environment since I was born I think … but those that act don’t need to rant on. Those that rant are often the worst offenders.

        Watched a documentary on Devo and it inspired a poem I’ll post later in the month. Humans seem to have lost the ability to care for humanity!

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    1. Maranda, thank you for reading and commenting. Many people think only of short-term gratification. Hopefully, by raising awareness, we can appeal to people’s self-interest and motivate them to adopt a longer view. By taking care of the environment, we can all enjoy better health…cleaner air and water, nontoxic food, beautiful natural areas for recreation, fewer extreme weather events…All the best!

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  32. Cheryl, a great post about all matters green! The conversation format with Mother Earth is inspired! Direct, immediate and I imagine many, with a bit of shame, can relate to this chat. Wanting to do more, but never quite getting round to it! Here in the UK recycling has only become big in the last ten years but since achieved a lot. As for electric cars, there is a lot of talk about them but unlike Scandinavia, no provision for charging points out and about which is a major drawback!

    Yea! Great news about the vaccine – I had my first one a month ago and only two months until the second one. Keep well and look after yourself. xx

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    1. Annika thank you for your thoughtful and informative response and good wishes. ❤ We are getting a lot more charging stations in the US now and several more companies are making electric cars. As for recycling, we keep hearing that a lot of what we are being asked to recycle is ending up in landfills. Hope that is untrue! That is a long wait for shot number two. I think ours was six weeks. Hope they all work and we get rid of this monster virus! Take care, Annika ❤

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  33. I love how they rhyme- and the message behind them is gorgeous!!
    Yikes, hope you feel better. That sounds terribly difficult <33333

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    1. Kenyanito, Thank you for reading and commenting. ❤ "Science fiction show" is an attempt at irony…meaning some people are more interested in fantasy entertainment than they are in learning scientific truths about the environment and making needed changes. I hope that answers your question. Take care! 🙂

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  37. This conversation hits hard add one I have with Mother Earth often myself. I think I’m getting better at listening to what she needs, and taking action to be better. Thank you for sharing this poem, and the very powerful and true message we all need to heed behind it.

    I think there’s a bit in this poem about looking after our own needs as well. That we need to listen to our own minds and bodies when they need something. I’m glad you are looking after yourself, and pray you feel better soon.

    Thank you for sharing, Cheryl, and peace to you this coming week. ♥

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