O Earth
I am of thee
your beauty
your wondrous mystery
is the beauty and mystery
of me
your pain
unbearable
is mine
your life blood sucked
your waters poisoned
your air fouled
your skin paved over
concrete spreading like a cancer
your very vibrational field disturbed
your creatures dying
your ice caps melting
your temperature rising
like a fever
Our mutual love is suffering
It is me
the multitude of me
It is not you
forever generous and faithful
How can I live with myself?
How can we live?
Shall I live like a king?
think only of my comfort
satisfying my greed
exercising my white privilege
in arrogance?
Shall I lord it over you?
Shall I fly through your skies
like a maniac
like Ikaros
or am I truly done with this?
Certainly you are the stronger!
Your strength is awesome
you will destroy me
before I truly destroy you
I am but a feather
I am of thee
I depend on thee
you sustain me
how I wish to serve you
to love you back
you communicate
all I need to know
about living with you
healing, positive life force
regeneration
I listen
I feel, I smell, I touch
I see
I am of thee


Anne Legêne is a musician, educator, mother and grandmother. She grew up in the Netherlands in a family of musicians, who instilled in her early on a deep respect and love for nature. She moved to the Berkshires in 1985 to escape the overwhelming urbanization and to live surrounded by nature. She teaches cello at her home studio and at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where she also conducts the chamber orchestra. She performs on cello and viola da gamba in the Berkshires and beyond. Anne gardens, cooks macrobiotic food, and has a passion for learning pottery.