ON NATIVE GROUND

by Tatiana Lyulkin

Nobody owns the sunrise,

The air we breathe,

The ground

Where we plant

And nurture our seeds.

The ones

Who were here before us

Believed so.

You can’t buy a waterfall,

A mountain meadow

Where the yellow 

And blue flowers bloom.

Nobody owns

A quiet country road,

A giant seagull

That flies overhead

As the tide comes in,

You can’t buy

Fresh morning air,

Being lost in the woods,

A sense of purpose,

Of belonging,

That perfect moment of peace.

You can’t stop a river

From flowing,

The snow from falling,

The ones

Who were here before us

Said so.

You can’t stop people

From smiling 

Or falling in love. 

Nobody owns the sunset,

That special time

When the bright orange disk

Disappears beyond the horizon

And the sky

And the sea

Become one. 

We don’t own the land,

The oceans, the trees-

We are the stewards,

The students,

The teachers,

The guides.

We are the children

Of those who were here

Before we came.