co-operators are standing by

This used to be my neighborhood. The house I grew up in. It's been bought and sold many times, but I still belong to this land. I belong to the earth, these berries and flowers. I spread the seeds for future forests from the moment I took on form. I studied the grasses and searched the clover. I ate those leaves and berries, cried and cared for the animals and vulnerable around me. It's always been this way. I exist on a timeline that centers buying and selling, money and violence. Pursued, attacked, silenced. I'm still from here. We all are– the neighborhood secret that isn't online or advertised anywhere. Only locals know about it because it's for us. We take care of each other. We keep us safe.