She holds life within her
She breathes, she sings, she cries
Yet I use her and step on her
As if she were already dead.

Forgive me, God, for moving so far away from Earth
For eating food from packages
Drinking water from cans
Consuming and discarding too much
And giving back too little.

Forgive me, God, for forgetting that I am a guest in her house
For not cleaning up after myself
Not minding the sacrifice of her life for mine
Not even noticing the burden
I have laid upon her.

Forgive me, God, for not seeing You in Earth’s abundance
For disregarding families of animals and plants
Tending only to what is useful to me
Not recognizing them as neighbors and friends
Of every person on earth.

I promise to do better
To love Mother Earth as she has loved me
May I seek the wisdom of Francis and Clare
As I work to restore our common home.

—Lisa Steiner, April 2021