To Grow or Not to Grow - Jessica Wilkerson

Look at the community, they're thriving

food raised sustainably, vegetables arriving

couldn't realize that the food im eating is reviving

my soul, my connection to the world, its contriving

a place of harmony, soil growing from the ground

the dirt, the rain, the molecules around

the sun, the moon, all elements sound

miles and miles used for livestock ground

to produce eggs, milk, and sell them by the pound

that puts food on the table for our farming neighbors all around

for them, its life

for us, its rife

but when we think of dining in tonight

we need to know that the smiles and the laughs we share

the ones that make us feel warm, when we feel bare

that help us grow and inspire our creativity

couldn't happen without harvesting activity

couldn't happen with precise selection

production, planting, gathering, and crop collection

endless nights, intensive and extensive protection

of our food, the food that reminds of life, family, and love

the crisp apples that were selected from the tree above

the corn that was brought from the ground

the land of the Amerindians, the land we call home now

we need to be thankful for the air we breathe

the seeds that feed our souls, and the trees that keep us whole

the farmers that tirelessly work to keep the planet going

keeping local food available, fresh, and growing

for what is life without nature, for what is life without food

for what is life without each other, remember that we need one another

our world is our home, nutrition is how we grow, so let's make the life we live sustainable.

Poetry