You Don't Own Me - A Short Novel

Chapter One

I am the land.
The earth. The plants. The rock.
I am the tree that has anchored its roots over two thousand years.
I am the soil that is watered, and the soil that has scorched.
The field. The forest. The mountains.
I am the meadow.
I am the desert.

You should not presume to own me.
I may be domesticated. Fenced off. Claimed.
But I am never tamed.
You should not assume you know me.
A lifetime is too short for the secrets of the earth.
I was old before the first creature's birth.

I provide. I shelter. I protect.
I am the land. The rock. The plants.
I am food. Shelter. Life.

You do not own me.