It takes the weight of the world
for full potential
to burst forth
we are not passive
not citrus succumbing to the squeeze
not grapes, not garlic cloves
not olives under the press
we are active
like blazing pinecones
releasing seeds
to grow into forests
like chrysalis
breaking open
to make butterfly wings strong enough to fly
like roses
defying the bud
with the collective effort of all our delicate petals
these moments lead
to emergence
these moments are required
for full bloom
the tighter surroundings close in
the faster raw essence transforms
into multi-faceted mirrors
prisms
of strength and beauty
we are all carbon
shouldering generations of oppression
we have no choice
but to become
diamonds
—
Audrey T. Williams, MFA, is a published poet and wellness facilitator rooted in the salt marshes and scrub oak-covered sand dunes of coastal North Carolina. Her eco-poetry draws on tidal rhythms, sand dollar wisdom, and the liminal sound spaces where land meets sea. Now based in Northern California, she is a PhD student in liberation psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, she hosts eco-poetry healing workshops using nature-based metaphor and LANDcestral connections.
