A long time ago, I was recommended the album The Alter by Banks. I listened to it, not in its entirety, and loved the couple of songs I heard. They were unique and weird, which was a sound I needed. Just a couple of days ago, I listened to the entire album and came across the song “Mother Earth.” It was a different, acoustically inspired song with a soft melody. I didn’t review the lyrics very much, but instead went to watch an interview Banks herself had, talking about the album. When asked about “Mother Earth,” she describes it as being a song for her new niece and how having a little girl in her life that is so important scares her, as women are treated so differently in the world. Suddenly the lyrics made sense, and I could see it from a feminist lens. “Follow me to my bed, ‘cause every time you fall, I’ll be holdin’ your head up, and when will you get tired of feeling bad? And every time you fall, follow me” are the lyrics from the chorus of the song. Women are constantly being put down in society; bringing up and raising a new little girl is terrifying and concerning, but you have to let other women know you’ll be there for them. This inspired the poem, “Mother Earth, Mother Nature.” A lot of women, especially mothers, have many sacrificial instincts and are willing to offer themselves instead of letting their loved ones suffer. This is a poem about how women are put down and can become vulnerable, because they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the ones they love.
Hollow nature ; empty validations
Hiding that she may cry with constant reiterations
“It’s okay,” “It’s my fault,” “I’m sorry,”
Honoring those who trespass into her purest places
Jaded, but she’s anticipated, needed by souls in plead, no care of what she feeds
Her hands stick out, ulterior tears down her face
Manipulative of the ones she loves, saying her sacrifices aren’t brave
Underwater with her dolor; galore of her oblation
For her children who scream with desolation
Vandalizing herself, bandaging them of their shallow cuts and imaginations, allowing her body to be the missing pieces to the fixation
Hoping it’ll lead them to better destinations
She sometimes questions if there’s a worth to her detrimental acts
Thinking of all she’s done, no one’s ever given back
Entering with an unaligned mind different to the ones who caught up fast,
Though she recollects realizing her determination has lead to new life
The creation of new nations
She’s mother earth; mother nature, she’s spiritually in tune
She’ll sacrifice all she is to love and preserve everything in you
Even if it shatters her, leaving her in pieces more than two
She’s our mother, she’s here for you.
