Braiding Sweetgrass

women in green shawls, beaded with raindrops catching the light,
graceful dancers in feathery fringe that sways with their steps. They
spread their branches wide, opening the circle, inviting us to be part
of the dance of regeneration. Clumsy at first, from generations of
sitting on the sidelines, we stumble until we find the rhythm. We
know these steps from deep memory, handed down from
Skywoman, reclaiming our responsibility as cocreators. Here in a
homemade forest, poets, writers, scientists, foresters, shovels,
seeds, elk, and alder join in the circle with Mother Cedar, dancing
the old-growth children into being. We’re all invited. Pick up a
shovel and join the dance.