The Encompassing Lap

{metaphor for the place-person who supports us at all times}

Imagine expecting someone to be

Always inspiring

Who is always there to support you

Sustain you

Welcome

Understand

Nurture

And listen

~

You suspect that this vast relationship

Feeds your dreams

Nourishes your imagination

Tells you stories

Sings you melodies

~

Consider not seeing,

or wanting to know

or be aware of who gives you so much

Ignoring their needs

Complexities

Shadows

Wills

Or

Motivations

You only project your necessities,

without ever remembering to reciprocate

You only demand

Claim

And ask for their support, from resources to inspiration

~

Imagine you don't even know their name

~

But you always count and wait for its vast, invisible presence

A nurturing posture

Their open and encompassing lap

~

This someone always has room for you

When you're tired

Exhausted

Sick

Or when you're happy

Joyful

Or satisfied

~

You blame their monstrous side

But you ignore your responsibility

In a relationship of violent and constant extraction

~

How many times

You tell stories to the mountains

You sing to the trees

Dance with the waters

Do you travel with the wind?

~

{I use the metaphor of the place-person who supports us at all times, with air, water, food, and beauty; the most vast and permanent relationship we will know throughout our lives — due to the limitations of anthropocentrism, it is easier to realise the one-sidedness of our relationship if the referent is another human being; would you do the same with someone else? In modernity, how irresponsibly we demand everything, without anything in return, without a moment of listening or appreciation, affection or gratitude. Without learning the place-based peculiarities, seasonalities, or complexities, reciprocity and regeneration are impossible, keeping us trapped in an unbalanced relationship that only takes. Without seeking the dignity of the vast and complex living systems that lend us life}.