Rolling Earth and the Clowns
Art Pulse for Nature 2
Did I tell you that the Earth flew from the nest in the back of our silver pickup truck and bounced down the road landing at a cemetary gateway?
The white truck behind us put on their flashers and swerved to avoid my paper mache Earth tumble with purpose towards the sleeping stones of past generations. I yanked into a driveway, pulled on the e-brake, and set off at a sprint like I was 10. The moment was cinematic. A scene out of a Fellini pic. I sensed the cars going by, witnessing this wild blond in dance pants running hard after the Earth rolling in the street.
The Earth stopped just before I caught it, and taking it up in my arms, I gave it a kiss. I quickly headed away from the graveyard. I had saved my beloved Earth ball from danger, even though I was to blame, forgetting the straps that kept it snug in its nest in the antique baby carriage in the back of the truck. The layers of irony were not lost on me, as my heart pounded. The earth almost rolled into the graveyard! And I had forgotten, like so many humans, that caring for the earth is a constant job, otherwise things get out of control, and suddenly we’re in grave danger!
Shaken, I checked for damage and found rips in the paper across the Pacific and scrapes in the paint along the coast of Africa. Little pebbles were imbedded into the paper, over all the continents, but the swirling white clouds still showed promise of a healthy biosphere.
My partner and I carefully returned the Earth to its nest, covered it with a blanket and tied it down with straps. I sat in the truck for awhile settling my heart. We had just come from the Gay Pride Parade in which we, dressed as earth spirit clowns with our Earth nest in a baby carriage, had walked through town telling folks the planet was sick and needed their help.
It was on this perfect sunny day in a liberal, open hearted town, in a time of climate chaos, extinction, war, and rising fascism, that we clowns, with our red noses, asked street goers for silver spoonfuls of love to heal the earth. We held up our “Peace on Earth” Banner, and yelled out that Peace on Earth might be a good idea. Could this clown moment be subversive? We were celebrating the rainbow of Pride, while trying to let the truth of our time tumble out into the street as a message of awakening.
The antique Cow bell attached to the Earth carriage rang out soulfully when we walked. Heads turned. What else can be done, I thought, but to ring bells and tell the truth. But I can’t seem to just say it strait out any more. A part of me wants to yell and scream! We are in serious danger! Declare a Climate Emergency! But I have done so before, 15 years ago in fact. And I was told that I was scaring the children. I imagine that those children are dealing with fear if they come to understand what is happening with our biosphere. I need to stay light and fearless to keep the message hopeful, rather than dread and angst producing. As I’m learning from the traditions of original peoples, metaphor and humor bring about the deepest learning.
My mother gave me the antique cow bell from Afganistan that she bought on her epic trip in 1950 with my father on a year long archeological expedition to find early civilizations. Inside the bell an animal bone swings and rings the hand wrought metal with a haunting sound. I have tied it to the Earth carriage and as we walk, heads turn curiously, and eyes scan the unusual presence of our red nosed earth carriage band of clowns. It feels like we are opening a curtain to another world. Few actually come over to see what this other world looks like, but those who do are smiling, laughing, and at the same time nodding their heads sadly as we look together at the little world in the carriage.
Little did I know the Earth would fly out of the truck and rip open the curtain wildly to expose our fragility in perfect metaphor. Loving the land, each other, animals, plants, water, trees, flowers, children, old people, and everything you can think of, saves the world over and over again. Clowns are often sad because everything around them is hard. Yet being in the truth with vulnerability and humor and layers and layers of carefully laid intention to be more and more open hearted brings moments of love and connection that keep the world safely nested in our hearts.