Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Unto the 7th Generation



The First Earth Day
with the Iroquois, 1914
americaslibrary.gov

Many many years ago, 
when buffalo, trees, antelope and bear
were plentiful upon the land,
when the waters ran free and clear,
and the fish multiplied
by the millions,
the First Peoples' chiefs and elders taught:
"In all of your dealings, in every decision,
personal and communal,
consider the impact 
of what you do and how much you take
upon the 7th generation to come.

"Let self-interest have no part 
in what we take from Mother Earth,
in order that our great-great-great grandchildren,
unto the 7th generation,
140 years from today,
will have enough to sustain life."

This same message is passed, in oral tradition,
among the aboriginal peoples of the earth,
who have lived for thousands of years 
connected to and in harmony with 
Mother Nature.

Those chiefs and elders from long ago
must lie 
uneasily in their shallow graves,
if their spirits can still witness
the excesses and greed,
the  corporate decimation
- and domination -
of the planet
that oppresses
their descendants today.

May the young people 
- and all the dispossessed of the world -
soon rise up in a mighty wave
to Re-Occupy Earth
as their ancestors occupied it,
when all the world was young.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_generation_sustainability

Thankfully, First Nation voices are sounding the alarm and are rising up,  in such movements as Idle No More and the Occupy movement, to resist and expose the corporate stranglehold on the throat of the planet. May all who are moved to do so make personal choices which will directly impact the corporate bottom line. Our pocketbooks can make our voices heard.

Posted for Mid Week Motif at Poets United: to write about any 7th at all. This is the 7th that Occupies my mind.


17 comments:

  1. I love that connection and harmony with nature, that yearning of creation. It makes the heart sing when we appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.

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  2. I do hope that this will be the generation which will turn things around. A good message, Sherry.

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  3. What a worthy seventh to occupy your mind...I am glad our generation is thinking ahead..in some parts at least...at times it feels like people hardly even consider the next seven minutes! A unique, informative and heartfelt poem as ever Sherry

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  4. Wow! Sherry! This is a manifesto! Unto the 7th generation--our land masses will be much smaller and much hotter with fewer species in that short time if we continue as we are. Thank you.

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  5. What a wonderful poem that tells how the younger generations are the ones who need to have the most attention because they eventually are going to be the ones who change and develop the planet that we live on.

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  6. If only the corporations did only decimate (one tenth), sadly they destroy utterly then pillage elsewhere. Sadly they are filling a need to make a profit and for most us to satisfy our greed. How important your message is, Sherry.

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  7. A wonderful hope.

    I was always told when harvesting something wild to take one, leave two for the people who live after me.

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  8. This poem is so insightful. Mother Nature has also been warning us repeatedly. May your wish for better treatment of our Mother come true. Blessings.

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  9. What a wonderful - and sobering - take on the prompt!

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  10. Amen. ..great message, Sherry. Lets take a small pledge and make a HUGE contribution towards a safer and greener earth for the next seven generations!!
    Gorgeous piece, Sherry.

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  11. Great poem, so fitting to the prompt yet so large beyond it.

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  12. I hope the younger generation will become more spiritual and aware of the fragile eco systems of the earth!

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  13. Wish your movement could cross oceans and impact our lands as well

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  14. What a powerful poem and message. May it only be heeded.

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  15. Let us hope things change for the better so generation after generation can enjoy the natural beauty of the earth and her lands. A poem with a message that needs to be heard.

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  16. It will be glorious for the 7th generation to occupy earth in a natural and sustainable manner. I pray this will happen.

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