Ada Limón

For me, the natural world is not separate from us. Our lives are intertwined. We are together on this planet and all things are interrelated, interconnected. When I write about the natural world, I am writing about my friends, my ancestors, my family, myself. Everything we do is in relationship to each other. Writing about nature is also a way of de-centering my own narrative, my own ego, the chaos in my mind, and instead reclaiming my sense of belonging. Belonging, not ownership. Belonging beyond borders or identities and instead a belonging that is only offered up by the earth itself.

When I’m struggling with writing in any way, I begin by looking at the natural world around me. Whether it’s in an urban setting or in a more rural location, I begin to simply notice what it is that I am in relationship to. This is not dissimilar to mindfulness practice or walking meditation. The act of noticing and of describing, is also an act of loving. Paying deep attention and noticing where language is both working and failing is a way of telling the world that I am not taking it for granted. 

Writing toward the natural world, with nature, for nature, is also a way of never being alone. If we can admit that we are all connected to the wind, the trees, the grass, the weeds, the bird we see and the bird we don’t, how can we ever be lonely? To offer something back to this planet is another way of opening myself up to the idea, the practice, of reciprocity. My job is not just to receive. My job is also to give.