To my people,
flamboyant belly laughers
who dare to envision their lives
and make it so.
Who shape their paradigms
to embody their dreams,
living life fully,
with calculated abandon.

To my people,
bright, colorful, smiling,
generous with their time,
their possessions,
their spirits.

To my people,
camping at timber sales,
marching through the city streets,
harnessing the internet
for human rights,
educational funding,
political reform,
WORLD PEACE.

To my people,
who bring creativity
to every task,
contemplating, collaborating,
constructing objects
simultaneously functional
and beautiful.

To my people,
singing,
dancing,
painting,
writing,
weaving,
constructing-
words, structures, music.
To my people,
who raise their children
in love and celebration.
Extended families of friends.
Breast feeding mamas
who birth their babies at home,
and nurture them with
pure foods,
non-commercial toys,
home-grown entertainments.

To my people,
who walk gently on this planet,
building shelters of cob,
strawbale, salvaged wood.
Growing food in the compost
of their kitchen scraps.
Powering their shelters with wind and sun.

To my people,
kitchens delighting the senses,
bowls filled with the nourishment of love,
meals starting with silent grace or song,
tables spread with laughter and stories,
and guests who wash the dishes
when the plates are scraped clean.

To my people,
who surround each other
in passionate conversations,
parables of life and living,
hands reaching out in comfort,
arms in embrace, fingers rubbing away hurt,
tears transforming into laughter.

To my people,
who dream of a saner world and make it so,
please grow,
and grow,
and grow.

Inspired by the poem For My People by Alice Walker and Summer Solstice Healing Retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs.