Physician

From the very beginning
The woman was close to the earth
Feeling the tug of the tides
And the waxing of the moon
The hum of the tree roots
The writhing legumes
The whispering leaves
And balm of the blossoms.

Looking up from the low crouch
After plunging fingers into dirt
Tasting metal and mineral salt
And smelling...
how close to the stream was that animal no longer alive
From this angle, the pattern of the stars
The pictures in the clouds
The vortex of the winds
The rainbow in the dew
Were so very obvious.

You could see that the earth was round like a belly.
You could see that we were cradled by loving hands
You could hear music and voices at dawn and dusk
But instruction came by moonlight.

It seemed natural to rejoice
in how beautifully we had been formed
It seemed an insult to the Maker of all things
not to practice wholeness and healing.
Using the salts and the sweets and bitters
found at every turn
using the warmth of loving human hands
Modeled after the Hands that held the universe.

If we have been given dominion, let us know our subjects
And use our power wisely
As a friend would heal a friend.