A Poem

A Poem by Mattie Stepanek

Making Real Sense of the Senses

Our eyes are for looking at things,

But they are also for crying

When we are very happy or very sad.

Our ears are for listening,

But so are our hearts.

Our noses are for smelling food,

But also the wind and the grass and

If we try very hard, butterflies.

Our hands are for feeling,

But also for hugging and touching so gently.

Our mouths and tongues are for tasting,

But also for saying words, like

“I love you” and

“Thank you, God, for all of these things.”

               April 1995

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Earth Day

earth

with bare hands 
i sink my fingers into the earth
and lift it from the ground

i need to feel it…

damp and crumbly
as it sucks the moisture
from my skin

i want to smell it…

thick and organic
as its rich aroma
streams into my nostrils 

i touch it to my tongue…

coarse and gritty
as the taste of minerals
washes over my taste buds

i need to see the earth
with my eyes closed 
and know through my other senses
that what i am holding in my hands
is something precious

earth
ancient and elemental
the mother of us all
reminds me
of our close kinship

for in essence
I am nothing more 
than a carbon creature

nothing more 
than the ashes and earth
from which we all rose

and in death
will be

nothing less
than the ashes and earth
to which we all return
written by: Sylvia L. Mattingly
April 8, 2019