Dear Earth,

In Utah’s morning hush,
your sandstone blushed beneath the moon’s slow retreat.
Spines of desert green stood guard—
tough, luminous,
whispering of survival.

You balance softness with sharpness,
light with shadow,
gravity with grace.

I stood there, still,
between thorns and sky,
realizing again:
you’ve never needed our permission to be beautiful.

With love,
—Cat Atom