The Earth is Us

We build ourselves with molecules of place

The bits and pieces of surroundings

That create our moods and desires

And hopes; that fill the spaces

Unformed in our lives, creating us;

We are what we see, what we touch

What we live with

And slowly grow to hold dear;

We are the land, the atmosphere

The patterns of weather and seasons

Even if only in some distant memory.

The Earth isn't us, we are it

Each in our way, and it changes our lives

Immune to our protestations;

But what it gives, what fulfills us

Can end up existing

Only in coffee table books and home movies

When we suddenly remember something fondly

That's no longer there.

And we become different

The molecules of place changed

Replacing something that has died

Something we never wanted to lose.