You are the salt of the earth,
Keeper of life,
Carrier of the earth’s wisdom.
You add the flavor of earth, your mother,
And of sky, your father,
To all the proceedings.

Merely by being present,
You extend the life of mortal things.
Your greatest virtue
Is the ability to be absorbed.
The earth and sky, together!
And yet, with deliberation, or with its lack,
You can be used
To make the field barren.
Caustic devourer of spirit.

Earth-born, sky-born, good news!
This doubtful-seeming compound, your home base,
Is as dependable and sure as the stable.
Be who you are:
This cannot be taken from you,
Any more than the earth and sky be split in two.
Even if you were to be cast out,
Spilled across the ground,
Someone upon the wintry path
Might still praise the good to be found in you.