
A 7-year old Palestinian boy, waters trees on a farm in Johor Al-Deek, a section of the Bureij refugee camp in Gaza
Photo: Paul Jeffrey.
Cento Poems by Glennifer Gillespie
A cento is a poetical work wholly composed of verses or passages taken from other authors. These lines come from the Reflections from Tending the Wellspring of Life.
Song of the Well Keepers III
The time for holding back is over
I am flung open wide to hold the world in my arms
I ask the water “how may I serve now?”
I am grateful yet again today, every day, to walk in the dewy grass in early morning
to hear the buzzing of bees in a meadow of goldenrod
to walk the spiral labyrinth in my garden
to hold joy in my heart for new beginnings, tough transformations, and regrowth
to feel alert, alive to the familiar becoming strange—
trees that whisper and dance in the wind, in celebration of their connection to the
Great Love
a kiss of the sun on my face
a sudden storm with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning
a wildfire on Alexander Mountain
​
These trees of Ards offer sovereignty and strength.
Here in the midst of the ancestors and the children of tomorrow,
I live with my knowledge, and all the ancestors who have gone before,
A holy place where many voices of past, present, and future have been and will be-
We are able to see in the dark of unprecedented times, and rest in the embrace of
the unseen world.
In the west, a circular opening in dark clouds like a light tunnel portal;
I feel the world move under our feet on its way from solstice to solstice—
Sun Standing Still.
The drama of the rest of the world subsides
Slowing the rhythmic heartbeat of being a human in a turbulent world;
The snail I met on my morning walk, the way it wobbled
Walking my dog through the sunrise and enjoying the fresh morning
Hanging a shelf, watering the garden, playing with my cats
Gratitude for my family, friends, and home
A woman dedicated to teaching other women how to surf
A meaningful and touching conversation which brought us closer
A day like any other day, brimming with sentience, alive with life force
A breakfast bowl bursting with garden fruit!
Tending in my heart the place where the river meets the sea,
I made an offering on the altar as I felt the deepening of the well within.
I walk the Way of the Cross
Dearest Mother Earth, you do not belong to me; I belong to you
Beloved Lord, almighty God…purify and revivify me, and I pray, heal my body,
heart, and soul
​
Love is all there is
I forgive
I nourish
I give thanks
I belong
~ September 15, 2024

Woman drawing water near Yangshuo Guangxi China, April 2009
Photo: David South
Song of the Well Keepers II
We tended to our souls today
We’re working together, holding this world in our hearts
May we fall in love with truth…even if it’s hard and messy
​
We are in a time of great peril
The pendulum swings wildly and blindly now--
I was called to carry the Mantle to the heart of chaos
The elders say pray;
So many of our waterways polluted, depleted, and compromised.
I look deeply into ancestral wounds carried from the mother lineage
I let go
Let go
And let go
Open my heart, and open some more
Today I keep the well of mother love
A promise inside a womb inside a womb.
My heart tends the well
With reverence and loving care
Respect and tolerance towards others;
I feel the moon holding us all with her eternal wisdom—
Grandfather sun and grandmother moon intertwined today.
I woke up to a brighter future
Women ready, and keen for change.
An unexpected ordinariness to my day unfolded sweetly
Cleaning…and cooking for the upcoming week
A day spent playing in the sun and wind, with hands in the dirt
Allowing and embracing what shows up;
After enlightenment, the laundry
Simple, real, (w)holy.
​
I pause to allow the sun’s rays to soak into my body
I have time by the river to sit and be present to the birds and ripples as water moves—
Hear me, hear me, where are you my sparrow friends?
I am serenaded by the winter wren
I am branch and hive and trunk and stone
I stand under the towering trees
I taste a communion of being
You have a place. You belong.
Honor the spirit of earth as one
The lover deepens
From the act of loving
To being love.
~ May 24, 2024

Song of the Well Keepers
I made an offering with my sacred cornmeal,
Feeling the strength of the trees’ deep roots as they stretch to the skies above, like guardians;
There is a spring, a fountain, that can never be exhausted, that can never go dry.
​
Fleeting wings soaring skywards
Chime the wildness of our hopes--
Art in motion;
Strong winds from the Arctic Circle bearing tender hearts like dancing leaves.
​
Care for one another and immense gratitude are currents in this holy river
From the shedding of tears
As we sense our united hearts in this continual ceremony;
Hands pressing into the earth,
Savoring stillness,
Passing the inner torch.
I’ve come to light the lamp of love in your hearts.
Always together are we
In sunshine and rain, crystal clear moon and star-filled night,
Everything in balance.
My questions fall silent into pools of joy and understanding.
Building cairns of care
Breathing in, breathing out,
I bathe in the quiet and simple beauty;
I sit with a cup of tea
I bring tobacco and sage to offer to the land.
Matapiiksi have a spirit—they leave offerings when they visit—
The power of pure presence.
The darkness has been sweet tonight
I did not fear it;
I honor the mundane tasks
I stay in the sanctuary of my home
My heart is mending
I read and then burn the intentions;
Is it really possible to tend the Well without also tending the Wound?
I say holy holy
​
All is holy.