11/11
Blue Ridge Mountains, VA, 2007

If you can lie on the earth
And feel her heartbeat
Would you want to share that experience
With everyone in the world?

How differently would we treat
Our earth
If she did have a heartbeat?

On a cool autumn morning
Our tribe of women moves through the forest
Connecting to the earth
Feeling the dew evaporate off leaves
Hearing the scream of a butterfly

I bring them into the tee-pee
Where beneath the pebbles
Is now buried an art piece from burning man
Which simulates the earth’s heartbeat

Our tribe of women
Lie on the earth
And feel her beating heart
 
I call the artist
“We experienced Kensho
Here
In the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains.
Today.”
“Do you know what today is?” He asks.
“No.”
“It’s my birthday.  It’s 11/11.” He says.
 
How is it that his beautiful contribution
Of experientially creating
A vehicle
Which connect people to the beating heart
Of the earth
Comes to life
On this birthday?

Months later
A second heartbeat piece is installed
At a festival
It comes alive
On my birthday.

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