To Mother the world
the Voice says, sounding
At once as the roar
Of a rogue wave
And as the silence of
disappearing fog
It’s a sacred call
And the Voice repeats
To Mother the world
Do you hear it?
Echoing yet again
From Earth to distant skies
So that the unmoved
Be moved
To Mother the world
Says the Voice
Is the purpose
Of the heart
The heart! The heart!
A lotus of a thousand petals
A crown of thorns
A sea of love
Is the heart
With which to
Mother the world
Yes, yes!
The heart! The heart!
Says the Voice
Pushing passion into existence
The waters of the heart
To break for another who is in danger
The wounds of the heart
To expand for another who is traumatized
The beat of the heart
To sing for another who is lonely
The flower of the heart
To open for another who is anguished
The blood of the heart
To flow with presence for another who is dying
To Mother the world
Says the Voice
As if the heart itself
Is the very purpose
Of the world
To risk the wounded,
Whole heart
For another and another
Is the reason to keep breathing
Bleeding, expanding,
And singing
All the while as if
being carried and protected
in the womb
Of a mysterious Voice,
Presence, that roars
and disappears
At once
Do you hear it?

– Mary Sue Barnett