he said in ethiopia
every plant contains
the power of god,
the treasure of god,
the blessing of god.
he said when the wind
moves the branches of
a tree that someone planted
that the tree is praying for them,
praying for the long life
of the one who planted.
he said in ethiopia,
for a church to be a church
it needs to be enveloped by forest
it needs to be the garden of eden
he said if the church loses its forests –
it loses itself.
agriculture is eating the forests.
in just a one hundred years
we have changed
the landscape of ethiopia.
there are grandmothers
who still remember
the forests that grew
where desert dust now blows.
he said in ethiopia
the church forests
are protected,
sacred,
sanctuary.
they are green jewels
scattered in a bowl of dust –
they are like grandmothers
remembering their childhood
remembering what could be
remembering what needs to be planted
and the prayers to be said.
this remembering is sacred sanctuary,
when the world loses its forests
we lose ourselves.
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