today
i nearly buckled.
not under the weight
of that bushel
of tomatoes.
not under the weight
of that whole basket
of peaches.
but under the weight
of beauty.
the gift
of riches given.
i want to say,
freely,
even if we bend over
to weed and water.
even if we stretch
up and out
to pluck them
from their heavy
branches.
yes, freely
despite our incessant
human insult.
despite our
unforgivable
selfishness.
despite our
insatiable greed.
i shall fall
– and daily –
to my knees,
unable to stand
in the face
of Earth’s
unending
generosity.
—
Susanne Moser is trained as an Earth scientist and human geographer. She works as an independent scholar, consultant, trainer and coast on climate change adaptation, climate change communication, science-policy interactions, and psycho-social resilience in the face of the traumatic and transformative challenges associated with climate change. Some of her poetry, while still mostly a private pastime, has been published in the anthology, Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States (2023), and in several newsletters.
