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To Hug a Tree

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I love hugging trees

​

I heard and read...

of word-shakers.

They climb trees,

shake its words,

give 'em to people

who are willing.

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Hugs, that's a different matter.

Not everyone wants to hug like me.

Humanity gets mad sometimes,

and that's alright.

I just like hugs -

So I can hear your heart, feel your soul.

​

People say "tree-huggers"

is an insult

to vegans.

They just don't understand.

​

The Tree-huggers is my band name

Me, Susannah, maybe Jessica, or Elizabeth.

We're tree-huggers.

​

We ain't ignorant

That's for sure.

We're tree-huggers.

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At the art museum,

I hugged every tree I saw

People stared

And that's alright.

At least I got to hug the trees.

​

I spoke to them

Sometimes they spoke back

It's beautiful.

​

You've gotta love what you fight for

Love trees, like I do,

And you'll have all the power

to hug 'em, feel them

They're always talking

Today I hugged a tree

Or a few days ago

Whatever.

​

You can say that, "whatever"

to the amount of days,

but not the amount of love.

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When I hugged a tree

It felt like so much protesting

A possible game or sport

 

All sports, or most,

are based on strength, skill, smarts.

What about love?

​

"Sports ain't about love, you sissie"

​

That's what jerks think.

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But what about tree-hugging?

Whoever feels the trees' heartbeat

and has the most true love wins.

You can't measure true love

So I dunno.

​

A sport for only one instead.

The object is to be as grateful as you can

Feel the trees' heartbeat

Ignore the stare

Love, love, love

Protest

Oh, and honor the tree.

​

You see, you need to triple your love

Then triple it again

Keep tripling

You won't regret it.

​

Lose all that regret

Replace it with love.

​

Be a tree-hugger

Like me.

And please, don't be ignorant.

According to the Beatles...

"Life is very short, and there's no time

For fussing and fighting my friend"

Life is too short to be ignorant as well.

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Protest.  Tree-hug.  Love. 

Remember to keep tripling it.

​

Lastly, I love hugging trees!

And the trees love hugging me

With their beautiful, wonderful, magical love.

 

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Words

 

I guess I'm just writing

I'll be inclined to throw it in the trash

Where it will endure the agonies of the landfill

But this isn't just words.

 

Many sacrifices were made for my words

So I should make it count

Who knows?

Maybe it'll turn into a present

And while someone looks on

Boredom clinging to them

I'm telling you –

This is mine too.

 

Never look on miserably

With that same attitude as always before

To something or someone

Tell everyone you love them

But I don't mean romantic

Romance isn't always the key.

 

To what I said before

No misery

Why is that?

Because we all share something

Our life, for one, is shared

Every day you go to someone

doing all there is to do

which could be cruel or kind –

Just know that you're sharing something

You're sharing part of you

And with that

Love appears, slow but steady.

 

Love then shines so bright it blinds the universe

But we keep our eyes

Love gives us power

Now we can see even more than the universe can

Those with hate buried in their veins are not able to see though.

 

Those with love can see the light's beauty

Shining bright and lovely to us

There is the shining light that brings us together.

 

Hate sometimes clouds some of us

I, for one, know what it does to you –

I've been clouded with hate before.

 

I get it though -

no one's perfect.

 

We all have been locked out

Given unfair punishment

But it's ok --

This is just how the world works

And the world isn't perfect either.

 

Don't let perfection ruin you.

Don't let all that work seem like nothing.

If it never stops in your mind's eye

You won't be connected

And you won't feel the light.

 

I was like that

Thought fate would be unfair to me

But then I remembered this

Something my dad said to me

You don't know what going to happen tomorrow

But you do know about today

So enjoy the moment

 

Carpe diem – seize the day

I'm seizing the day right now

Seizing the day with words –

Words are powerful magic

Even simple things are magic.

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Beyond Adam and Eve

​

For those wondering

Do I belong in a world of uncertainty?

Where nothing is true

And Adam and Eve are everywhere too

 

They made the world

Filled with Adams

Filled with Eves

 

The whole world believes in Adams and Eves

But why?

 

 

You, the brave people,

Broke that curse

You gave us everything --

let us look up to the sky

let us be all we wanted to be

let us know –

Adams can be Eves

Eves can hug Eves

Love Eves

And you broke the curse of non-diversity.

 

I'm glad you're here with no fear

And maybe you could hold up the lesbian flag

Or make one even

And love yourself for it

 

You, you wonderful brave people, belong in this place --

In fact, you're heroes.

 

 

 

​

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Yellow

 

Yellow is who I am

I looked on

Thinking of purple

Of spirituality

But I was wrong

 

Hope is what keeps us

and our broken hearts

from slowly melting away.

 

Hope is knowing that songs can save us

And show us light.

 

I've felt it all –

The tears

The fears

But there's still happiness –

There always is.

 

 

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The Eclipse's Poetry

 

The day of the eclipse is oh so soon

I can feel it shining, oh so bright,

like the bridle of a shining horse upon a shining moon.

But that is not my word to you.

My words aren't even of the day

where everything happened,

but where I knew that everything would be – close.

That is, I'm talking about right now,

where most of you don't even care to look,

and that is today, the day to love.

 

All the people were talking in their strange ways,

But I did see something, something from all that,

in just so many days, with so many people telling me

of all the things that will happen

selling those lies

but I'll know the truth, hidden in my heart

That sleuth that said they knew the work of universal time,

for work and understanding were all they thought of this lovely happening,

and nothing more.

 

The universe isn't so clueless, though.

They give all things,

like moons of colors galore,

eyes that can see through the universe's store of harvest moons,

and things we don't quite know of

to show that we, in our selfish human thoughts of power,

and thinking we all can see,

is all a sense of misdirection.

 

We pursue our 'endless power,' it seems

But those aren't even in the universe's dreams.

The universe is beyond creation,

beyond dreams,

beyond all of our childish schemes.

The universe, in all of its power, will come to us,

the small-minded ones.

Through all of our minds spinning,

and hearts churning,

wisdom is the answer, hidden in the eclipse

 

When I look at today, I wonder.

I wonder what the universe sees,

with its wisdom and beauty and love,

and I, truly,

know the universe has wisdom to share

in the sky, in the air,

hidden from sight to those who can't tear their thoughts

that whirl and whirl away,

like a ship at sea on a sunny day.

 

The universe moves more than any idea,

even this poem,

and through that movement, wisdom is gained.

I know, as all should,

the universe has something in store for us

that will show their power

in ways unimaginable.

​

The Bairds of California

My mothers family

has a long history

of house-builders  

and butter-churners.

of my grandpa

who was the real builder

 

The Bairds of California know

what the Bairds coming before them, like grandpa,

brought to this world

building homes 

 

and

 

creating love

using their bare hands

house

after

house

after

house.

 

Grandpa loves a song

called “If I was a Carpenter” to show his love to Grandma

Because we’re all mud and brick

but also plants and leaves.

We’re endless

just as endless

 

as the greenery we touch

strong and weak

and our voices are the strongest. 

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California Sands

The California Sands fly around

and the heat from the sand

burns our feet

and the sands that welcome us

lead down

down to a river of ocean.

 

Joni Mitchell made a song for California

San Francisco

El Portal

Elle

Oakland

every

city with its own story.

Everybreath we take

full of California

and it's love

The sand is like

quicksand

as our knees slowly fall

​

and we laugh

laugh at this stern mother

who pushes us down

and stings our face

but there’s still love in those dunes

as she brings us back up again.

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Honor Night and Day

Look

at my drawing

It took me half an hour. 

These words also matter.

​

Look and tell me:

What you think of love, kindness, meditating?

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You'll say, 'what is it?'

and I'll have to tell you,

"It's something that matters."

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Just like you.

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I always feel as if every day

slips away.

But I look, at least.

​

You don't feel

Like a fish out of water.

When a reel, a fishing line,

pulls you in.

​

And you're stuck

But not in the muck

As your grandpa would say when you were little

'stuck in the muck'

But in beauty.

You can't escape...

You don't want to.

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Speak, Honor, Love

Meditation, closing your eyes.

I like speaking to myself:

"Oh Basil, and today a MAP testing day,

And halfway through the year.

I fear it to be gone,

Soon 7th grade,

but I'm happy.

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Things like that: words.

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Use them.  It'll do you good.

Sing them, speak them, think them.

Know them.

​

Words are meant to be friends

of mankind

To bring us together

Not tear us apart.

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Honoring starts with a sprinkle of

love,

hope,

light

Because it's all there.

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Honor the World, Honor Yourself

Honor the world!  is what I say!

In a way, honoring the world is honoring

yourself.

​

Loving yourself,

knowing yourself.

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Light, a glowing ball of light

is your heart,

your soul,

love.

​

You can feel it shining,

blinding you.

You must always know that the answer

isn't the answer.

​

I got some equation, some innovation, cleverness.

Is intelligence the answer?

No!  Love is... always.

​

Life is filled with answers.

​

I can honor myself, I suppose.

Go outside,

Honor Mother Nature,

do the ritual

taking a rock

Touch it to my fingers

Go to the peace bench

Close my eyes

Meditation.

​

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Say No!

No! is a strong word.

But it isn't too hard. 

You can speak, can't you?

No, I say, is honorable.

​

I was going to concert,

and saw these upstanders while driving,

protestors.

Holding up their posters for the Israelis, Gazans, Palestinians

In wars, facing genocide.

They'd found power

Organized to protest

Let their chants be heard

through many miles.

What courageous people.

​

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Hope

I saw it in Archer,

every soccer game

Even in rain

Hope,

hope.

​

I'd see it on his face as he practiced

So lovable

Saw it in others

Carlos, Jayden, Gael, Cameron, David

Archer

​

6 people vs 10

​

A team against 'all stars'

Against those sayin'

"We will win!"

Against a team running laps,

seemed like thousands

​

that didn't stop them from having hope.

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The Places I Go in My Mind
People will say I'm a space cadet.

Especially my mom

She thinks I'm clueless

Because sometimes...

I am.

I lose myself in the moment.

Whispering poetry to myself

Thinking and thinking

and thinking

And I'll be there

We all will.

But me?

I have the 'urge for going'

And in my mind,

I am somewhere else

I'll be learning

endless knowledge

Travelling to other worlds.

But they'll still call me clueless.

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