By Sophie Richardson

You are a child of the cosmos
At one with the land and sea
So breathe, beautiful child
For I am you, and you are me.
You are a child of great wonder 
A gift of the Earth and sky,
A dreamer, a believer, a truth seeker
And you know your reason why.
So when you sing your song,
Lift your voice in harmony
With the birds, the flowers, the trees;
This sound transcends the cacophony.
So when you laugh or cry, 
Let your joy and sadness flow,
Like a river, an ocean,
Be true to yourself, now you know.
So when you dance, know that,
The heavens smile seeing
The stars and moon dance with you;
It is enough, simply being.
You are a child of the cosmos
A gift of the Earth and sky.
So breathe, beautiful child,
You know your reason why. 

Sophie Richardson is a twenty-one-year-old ballet dancer and teacher currently living in London and practicing with Wake Up London Sangha. This poem, inspired by the Seventh Mindfulness Training and the practice of Touching the Earth, came to her following her first retreat in the Plum Village tradition, where she reflected deeply upon the infinite, impermanent nature of life, and her role in the world. She recognised that, as human beings, we have a tendency to constantly seek materialistic things that we believe will equal happiness, whereas the reality is that true happiness surrounds us in the here and now, as we walk in peace on our beautiful Earth.