(Poem) One Planet, One People by Mary Saracino

Black Madonna Cradles the Earth original art by Yvonne M Lucia (c) 2010; image used as the cover of She Is Everywhere! Volume 3: An anthology of writings in womanist/feminist spirituality, iUniverse March 2012, Mary Saracino and Mary Beth Moser, editors.

From outer space, 
the astronauts aboard Artemis II
gazed back upon our Mother Earth in awe
of the precious beauty their eyes beheld.
Finding words for their humbling experience,
they unveiled inner truths
as they soared through the dark vastness 
in which their ship sailed.
Their message was simple, but profound,
a sacred reminder to humans across the globe:
from the vantage point of the Universe,
there are no countries, no national boundaries,
no illegal lines to cross.
There are only oceans and seas, 
rivers and waterfalls,
mountains and mesas, 
valleys and hillsides,
sky and clouds—and the soil 
in which we are all planted—
one planet, one people.
They called upon us 
to recognize our shared fragility,
our unity with the cosmos—
not rivals, not enemies, or adversaries, 
but allies, co-stewards of life, 
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
On this lifeboat we call Earth, 
we embark together, a crew of comrades 
who must unite—or perish.
Their poignant message reminds us
to cherish the only home we have,
the only planet that can sustain us.
On this beautiful spinning orb
together, we must raise our voices
and sing our resounding cry: 
“One Planet for All. All People as One.”

Meet Mago Contributor, Mary Saracino – Return to Mago E*Magazine