Our ancestors came down out of trees,
brushed the leaves from their eyes,
got up off their knees
and raised their heads to the skies.
Our ancestors gathered around fires in caves,
to protect themselves and stay warm.
They shared everything they hunted or found
and celebrated with stories and songs.
Our ancestors were so intimate with nature
bison, aurochs, ibex, horses, deer
flowed from their fingers onto walls of pictures
painted with glorious beauty and care.
Our ancestors learned to read
the sun, the stars, the moon
for clues when to plant, when to leave,
where to bury, where to make their homes.
Our ancestors tilled and tended land
with love and reverence for the bounty
of the earth: the rivers, soil, trees.
They danced thanks and praise for the plenty.
Our ancestors constantly rebelled
against lords, emperors, kings
who stole the common land and hoarded wealth,
enslaved their fellow human beings.
Our ancestors call to us if we listen:
we don’t have to live this way.
There is a better world for the planet and for humans
if we shake off fear and passivity,
get up off our knees again
and rise to fight for a chain-breaking new day.