Earth Pathways Showcase

Sometimes you need to take the dog in you out for a long walk
Take off the leash
Senses roam, sniff, scutter winter’s muddy trails
Through lichen-covered oaks
Green as spring
Go ahead
Chase horses
Lap water
Taste blue stones tumbled from mountain tops
Take a cold dip and shake
Shake, shake it all off
Become fur
Listen
Symphonies sound in silent woods
Only shaggy ears can hear
Lick wet ferns
Dance with shadows
And howl
Like the animal you are.

Ty Canol Wood © Susan Elizabeth Hale 2013

In January 2010 a single idea was planted on the fertile ground of Facebook. It was a simple call: Create your own Woodstock. On Earth Day, April 22nd 2010, sing to the trees you love. Since then over 6000 people from 45 countries and 48 U.S. states have sung to trees. Tree singers have included kindergartners in Switzerland, children at a Native American prayer tree near Atlanta, Georgia, and peace marchers singing for the Joshua trees at the Nevada test site where the first nuclear bomb was exploded.

All across the world people are singing again to enchant the land, create awareness and galvanise action. Singing is part of the joy of being human, of connecting us with ancient traditions and reminding us that we all are part of the chorus of life. The idea of enchanting the land is not a new one. Indigenous people have always sung as a way to honour and thank the land, sending prayers for rain, crops, and the return of animals. Our trees need us.

Join the global love song on April 22nd 2015 at Noon Wherever you are on the planet, sing for the Trees you love. Contact Susan Elizabeth Hale www.songkeeper.net

Earth Day – Sing for the Trees © Susan Elizabeth Hale

On the 4th of July I tie
Sweet Peas to bamboo poles
When I planted the new shoots
in my English garden I was surprised
to learn they were named American
Four have bloomed
Red and white stripes, no blue
No blues this year
No fireworks
Not even a sparkler in sight
There is no apple pie but
the fragrance of Sweet Peas fills me

The Bleeding Hearts of spring have faded
Grannie’s Bonnets have gone to seed
Foxgloves have dropped all their white cups
with bended heads they sway
But today
the Sweet Peas remind me to celebrate
My transplanted feet
with roots
six years deep.

Immigrants © Susan Elizabeth Hale

Robin
Peeks in the Bwthyn
Tilts his head
Black eyes peer into mine
Perches on the door handle
Robin
Round as an apple
Russet-chested fine-feathered fellow
Pops round for a visit

The garden sits in her winter skin
Brown hydrangeas stark on their stems
Rustle as Robin brushes against them
Here       gone       back again
He hops towards me
Hopes for a crumb
No worms upturned in the untilled soil
December berries already plundered
Plucky bird says hello

Robin © Susan Elizabeth Hale

Emma Oliver and the Song of Creation

With the Great Mother Tree dying in the Shining Land, eleven-year-old Emma Oliver must sing the Song of Creation before it’s too late.

Fun and Entertaining with a Powerful Message
What eleven-year old girl knows they’re destined to save the world’s trees? Certainly not Emma Oliver, who comes from a long line of tree singers. The only thing she does know is that her best friend is a tree she calls Annie Oakley. That is just the beginning of the fantastic voyage, author Susan Hale is taking us on. As Emma, albeit reluctantly, sets out to save the world, readers will enjoy the twists and turns of the story. What I loved was that it made me think of our trees and their importance for sustaining life on earth. How we often take them for granted and chop them down without a thought. Hale’s story reminds us of the fragility of our natural environment in a fun and adventurous way. A great tale for young readers and adults alike who want to feel close to nature. Colorful characters, good and bad, will keep you entertained and on your toes to the last page. It certainly makes me wish there were an Emma Oliver out there to keep our trees safe. ~ Annette Oppenlander, Author of Escape From the Past series

“Who sings the songs alive in every leaf?” Susan Hale, the author of Emma and the Song of Creation clearly does. And in her book, she invites young readers to join her. “Who listens to the sonnets of budding blossoms?” Emma, the protagonist of Hale's children novel, does. At least, she intuits snatches of their poetry via her lone source of comfort and only friend – a tree in her back yard. Through various mysterious and magical experiences, Emma learns that her tree, its kith and kin, the entire natural world, and every marginalized human being are important, connected – and in grave danger. All are losing the struggle to survive the onslaught of modern civilization’s moneyed interests. Emma knows that this is wrong, but she bows to the powerful social pressures that value apathy over action. To confront the social ills head-on, Emma would need a strong heart, to find her voice, and to unleash her song. A tall order for a fearful, lonely, bullied eleven-year old from an unhappy home. As the author, a music therapist, leads readers through Emma’s transformation from downtrodden victim to heroic activist in this engaging cautionary tale, youngsters learn how to use their voices in support of beauty, compassion, and truth. Will the next generation heed Hale’s call for a more loving world in time to save it? While the central plot of the real-life modern drama has yet to be resolved, by the end of Hale’s masterful composition, youngsters will have the wherewithal to ensure that the human story doesn’t end. Here’s hoping they’ll join Hale’s choir. -- Dr. Linda Sonna is a psychologist and the author of ten parenting books. ~ Dr. Linda Sonna