MY ECOZOIC DREAM

I had a dream. A new dream . . . about America. About Earth.

In my dream, the Europeans embraced the Native American culture

and were so awestruck by the beauty of the land that they vowed to protect it.

They combined the best of their culture with the native culture.

Villages were established. Land was shared.

Fair trade flourished.

Protecting the soil was as important as the crops grown.

All progress was weighed against the effect on the Land.

Mother Nature smiled.

A nation was born. All men were equal. All women were equal.

All species were also equal.

Equal rights.

Children had rights. Animals had rights. Trees had rights.

Snakes had rights. Insects had rights.

Equal rights.

In this balance, there was peace.

Across the oceans, other cultures noticed and copied

the American model of mutually enhancing way of life.

A planetary consciousness was awakened.

Interspecies communication was the norm. Abundance was everywhere.

I woke up. I frowned. And then I smiled.

I have faith. There IS a planetary awakening happening. That is why we are here.

I remain hopeful.

* * * * *

Editor’s note: This poem was written during a Thomas Berry Study Group offered by the Deeptime Network (dtnetwork.org). The study group, facilitated by Shirley Pevarnik, accompanied a Coursera course, “The Worldview of Thomas Berry: The Flourishing of the Earth Community,” developed by Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim and Brian Swimme. Part of the work in the study group was to begin telling the new Ecozoic story in our own way—music, dance, poetry, art, and prose. This poem is an example of how we can all participate in the reinvention of the human by shared story and dream experience. As Deb describes “There IS a planetary awakening happening. That is why we are here.”