the earth is a living thing - Lucille Clifton

[Larry Robinson]

the earth is a living thing


is a black shambling bear 
ruffling its wild back and tossing 
mountains into the sea 

is a black hawk circling 
the burying ground circling the bones 
picked clean and discarded 

is a fish black blind in the belly of water 
is a diamond blind in the black belly of coal 

is a black and living thing 
is a favorite child 
of the universe 
feel her rolling her hand 
in its kinky hair 
feel her brushing it clean

	- Lucille Clifton