I love this land:
let me be clear
this is no jingoistic patriotism speaking in me
I have been exiled many a year
There is no green on earth like to this green
this English green, green of my motherland
it is not Alpine green, or Slovene green
or even Waimea high pasture green:
this green is mine
I head out here, some work of healing done
take to the rolling hills riding alone
I am embraced by birdsong, and the lapwings’ dive;
to the magpies’ chatter in the meadow
come alive
And perhaps you know a green
you do more dearly love, for it is home to you
and if you do, embrace it – for your portion of the earth is part of you
as my homeland is part of me
I fall to earth, on bended knee
and kiss this living, breathing greenery.
© 2022 experimentsinfiction.com. All Rights Reserved.
Written for earthweal
Sherry hosts this week’s challenge, ‘Dreaming In Green.’ Here is her prompt:
Let’s turn off the daily news, and walk out into this green world, bursting with life. “Walk as if your feet are kissing the earth,” like Thich Nhat Hanh.
And keep on dreaming. Never stop dreaming in green!
I didn’t realise how much I missed Britain in general, and England in particular, until I returned home after 6 years. I remembered it as a dreary, cold and rainy place: how wrong I had been! I now appreciate so much more the changing seasons, and even the changeable weather, which brings so much natural beauty to the land.
On the subject of healing, Wounds I Healed is now almost ready for publication, and I will be announcing the publication date on Saturday. Please stay tuned, and thank you for your patience!
Ingrid
What beautiful green in your photo. I breathed it in………and drank down your poem like elixir. Sigh. I love “This green is mine.” Mine is an old-growth forest, one of the few remaining that I distress myself trying to save. Greenness is what will save us. It is so precious. Thank you for this beautiful post and congratulations on the exciting news about publication. I regret not getting it together to sumit a poem. Times were hard and distracting. Will read the book with pleasure.
Thank you so much, Sherry: I went out on my bike this morning and drank in the green like an elixir 😊
This line captured me and set the tone for my morning … so gorgeous Ingrid.
“I am embraced by birdsong, and the lapwings’ dive;
to the magpies’ chatter in the meadow
come alive”
It rained here yesterday.. so wild and wonderful. the green is pretty brown right now and we’re on water rationing.
ugh.. 💖💖
Oh no!! Enjoy the sun at least, if it’s back out 😎
How lovely.
From your comments: if one never leaves one takes things for granted unknowingly. So leaving a place is precious. Coming back to a place you love reacquaints you to yourself. How lovely. Lovely sentiments. Glad you have such a place. XoXo
This is so very true, Selma: thank you 🙏
Beautiful words to convey how much you love this beautiful place! 💙
Thank you Merril! 😊
You’re very welcome, Ingrid!
The British Isles ARE incredibly green and beautiful! I’ve never been there in person, but the photos and films of that “green” are so lush and inviting. I have no doubt it inspires much love and attachment. Luscious poem, Ingrid!
Thank you, Dawn! 💚
Gorgeous poem, Ingrid. Sounds like a perfect place for relaxing . Beautiful.💕
It is indeed! Thanks Grace 🙏
💕🙏💕
The deep love for the land shines through in your beautiful poem Ingrid.
It’s true that I never felt it quite this strongly until I moved away!
I enjoy other places too (or have enjoyed them) but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that things like the Industrial Revolution took place in the UK. There is something in the ether which makes an otherwise insignificant little island stand out.
Perhaps! It feels like home, anyway 😊
I love the passion and beauty in these soulful words! That quote at the ending made me breathe deep too. <3
Thank you so much Jaya 💚
There is an added dimension to “our” beauty. The connection is so important – if we don’t love the land, how do we work for it?
That’s a very good point! Thank you Sarah 😊
It’s clear that’s where you belong. (K)
It is to me, now!
A beautiful poem that resonates in my heart. It reminds me of first morning to Oregon, and how beautifully green everything was, and is. A gift. 🌳🌿
How lovely! Thanks Jeff 😊
I have so many thoughts about this gorgeous poem, Ingrid. 💚 I will share two: how your natural surroundings beautifully influence your writing and how important it is to protect public and open spaces everywhere.
Thank you, Michele: when I am struggling for inspiration, I head out into nature, and it never fails 😊
You are welcome, Ingrid. So true. Inspiring, healing, and healthy. 🌅
We all have our own green, Ingrid. It’s a beautiful poem.
Thanks Hobbo!
This is a really lovely poem, Ingrid. And I know what you mean… the green of home. I really noticed the nature I missed after living in China for a year. I was sorry to miss the Wounds I Healed Twitter gathering. I pondered going but it was going to be midnight here and it was the night before my son’s birthday party which I was a bit stressed about. Our house isn’t very big and the weather was forecast to be pretty miserable. It went okay but was a huge distraction from a midnight gathering online. But I am very sorry to have missed it.
Don’t worry! We’re having a launch party soon where you can join in and read one of your poems…watch this space!
What a gorgeous poem, Ingrid! It is heartfelt, as are my memories of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, my spiritual home. I see the green woodlands filled with wildflowers and home of deer, and I hike to the waterfalls in my dreams.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your photos and your poems written in places far from home. I admire them for their curiosity and powers of observation. Your recent poems come from the heart. I admire all of your work and I admire your spirit! <3
Thank you Cheryl, I appreciate your kind comments and support 😊❤️
such peaceful vibes in this! Enjoyed the meditative lines full of green goodness for my soul this morning! 💚
Thank you Tricia 💚
My pleasure! 🌻🌞🌻
especially the last stanza, for me ~
Thank you!
And perhaps you know a green
you do more dearly love, for it is home to you
and if you do, embrace it – for your portion of the earth is part of you
as my homeland is part of me
I fall to earth, on bended knee
and kiss this living, breathing greenery. 💚💚💚
Instead of adding my words, I choose to repeat yours. I have similar feelings, for my homeland.
So glad this spoke to you, Lokesh!
Just gorgeous, Ingrid, and I can feel your deep connection to that unique green of your homeland in your words. I watch many many British series mostly just to see the ungodly beautiful color of green in the scenery, and the lovely gardens and the sense of ages and ages of life that have passed there. If I had more resources it would be one of the five places I would like to see before I die. The simplicity and clarity here really make the poem strong.
Thank you, Hedgewitch, for your kind words of appreciation 🙏
“your portion of the earth is part of you” Indeed! Mine is the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River Valley in Upstate NY–and now I love yours as well, the green and the birds, the restfulness of it, along with the joyful little skips of rhyme!
So glad you enjoyed this, Susan!
What a beautiful hymn to the healing power of green landscapes.
I hear England is becoming wine country as France heats up too much … Green prayer and praise here.
Not the North of England 😅 but I do remember visiting a winery in the Surrey Hills back in my drinking days…
Ah yes – we all have a shade of green that speaks us. Beautiful.
Thank you Lindi 🙏
I followed along as your words painted your beautiful home and I could not help but see, yearn for and feel the reverence for my own beautiful green. Beautiful, thank you for the journey.
Perfectly expressed Ingrid, you’ve made me homesick for a place I’ve never been! 💙
Fantastic! Thank you 😊
Well done 👍
Thank you!