A Listening Field of Love in Gratitude for the Animals by Laura Parisi

It began with a wooden crochet hook
and a ball of moss-colored wool,
hand-felted
from the sheep of distant hills. 

Between finger and fiber,
a memory awakened—
generations of hands
teaching mine how to listen
through making. 

I offer this small bloom of love,
threaded with gratitude,
rooted in the quiet inheritance
of those who shaped beauty
from what was given. 

Here, a field emerges—
not owned, but entered—
where animal, plant, and human
lean toward one another
in a shared language of presence. 

I imagine the owl,
keeper of thresholds,
listening not just for movement
but for the pulse beneath our ribs. 

The birds—
weavers of sky-patterns—
calling us back into rhythm,
into the forgotten intelligence of the flock. 

The caterpillar,
soft architect of becoming,
dissolving itself completely
to remember how to fly. 

All of it—
breath within breath,
life shaping life,
cycles turning gently
inside one another. 

And I,
learning to soften,
to widen,
to feel the subtle world
just beyond the edges of thought— 

listening
as the “other”
begins to speak.

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Laura Parisi is a Food Alchemist, Holistic Health Coach, Gardener, Artist, and Reiki Master. She is known as an extraordinary teacher, spiritual nutritionist, energy healer, and co-creative partner with nature. Through the eyes of the spirit, she combines her knowledge of food and plants as medicine, along with her love of cooking, tending the land, and gratitude for what Mother Earth has provided for us. Laura is committed to helping individuals live vibrantly healthy, happy, and balanced lives. She is the founder of Rooted Angel LLC and Rooted Angel Cooking School. Laura is also a member of ONE's Visioning Council and leads our Member Meetups.