forty-five (spirits of the earth)

Today’s guest post is brought to you by a young performance poet I first met at a strange little poetry gig at Rick’s Garage in Palmwoods. Indie Adams blew the rest of the poets off the stage with her combination of strength and vulnerability. This short piece was inspired by the lovely artwork by the Polish artist, Tomasz Alen Kopera.

Indie Adams lives on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Her work is largely influenced by her life, and the lives of people around her, as well as social issues, and any topic or issue that takes her interest. Her work is often dark and gritty, reflective, and at times humourous. She has been performing since late 2012, and can be seen adorning the stage every month at the Sunshine Coast Spoken Word gigs held in Montville, organised by the award-winning performance poet Robin (Archie) Archbold. She also performs at Poet’s Corner in Maroochydore every second Saturday of the Month, with John Wainwright, co-runner of Brisbane’s speedpoets.

We carry the spirits of the world within us
stories lost through the sinking sands of the ages
and those yet untold
words skittering across the Earth
born of a language no mortal can understand

I am earth
connected through my roots
to my brothers and sisters
eternal observers of evolution
we crack open and give birth
to all that breathes
growing wings to set flight to eagles
as endless creatures crawl
and slither across our skin
in a temporal caress
us loving them as they love us so briefly
an exquisite eternity felt in a heartbeat
before we fall to metal and ash
and creatures so tall
they have never learnt how to breathe

We move with the wind
heeding the war cries of our ancestors
the ones that claimed this land
as our birthright
bereft now of the life
it has known

Fire renew us
water sate us
sooth our scorched flesh
and bring new life into this world
of barren plains
absent of our love
of our touch
and let us reclaim the lives
taken from us
wrenched from our skin
and replaced with death
death of soul and spirit and breath

Our time will come again.