what nature teaches us by ellery akers

That it slows you down
so you can hear the stream as it pours

It reminds you
you are in the body it made for you

The quiet in the deep ground reminds you
The rock is gouged by wind

You can stand under a tree
as it rests in its own frank love of itself––

Rarely you see this in a man or woman
often in a tree––

In the glare and heat you can hear a garter snake slide across gravel

Your body likes to sit and watch the day moon

and you’re surrounded by chlorophyll
as it binds the sun in the leaves

and you sit under those leaves

in the calm air

and your mind surrenders its locomotives

and you breathe

(C) Ellery Akers, from Swerve.

• What does nature teach you? Write a poem or prose piece that explores the gifts and wisdom you find in nature.

• What do you take from the line, “you are in the body it made for you”? Explore your response in your journal.

• Recount the story of a time when you sat beneath a tree in the calm air. You might begin with, “Once I…” After you’ve written your story, reflect on what it reveals about your relationship with trees and nature.