We Have a Beautiful Mother

“We have a beautiful
mother
Her hills
are buffaloes
Her buffaloes
hills.

We have a beautiful
mother
Her oceans
are wombs
Her wombs
oceans.

We have a beautiful
mother
Her teeth
the white stones
at the edge
of the water

the summer grasses
her plentiful
hair.

We have a beautiful
mother
Her green lap
immense
Her brown embraces
eternal
Her blue body
everything
we know.”

— Alice Walker