the earth is dreaming us
and we have become a nightmare
what if
the land rejoices
in the feet of wild creatures
that run for love of running,
hooves drumming life
into the soil
what if
the wind sings of emptiness,
of movement
and freshness
reminding all things
of change
what if
the sea loves the little boats
that sail on her breast
and wishes them well,
and also mourns with the dwindling whales
what if
the moon sees us
as we see it most nights
and if it calls us sisters
what if
the sun shines with love
only sometimes she forgets
her own strength
stones wish to be picked up
and held in the hand,
pressed to the heart,
treasured
what if
the stars wish us well
and when they twinkle,
they are waving at us
what if
birds sing for the fun of it
flinging sound around
like coins into a fountain
what if
bees take pleasure
in pollen and nectar,
and in the alchemy
of honey-making
what if
trees please the earth
and sky, linking one to the other
in a dance
we cannot see
what if
a leaping tiger
delights in his own grace
what if
the cows in the field
the sheep, the goats in the fold,
have stories of their own
to share, but
they write only
in freely-given milk
what if
the dog curled by your feet
remembers his ancestors
and how they frightened us
what if
the butterfly knows
its own improbable journeying
and its magical cocoon-birth
and that is what makes it
so light
what if
plants speak to us
all the time
just very, very quietly,
the way they move
very, very slowly
what if
we stopped
the long turning away
and began again
as equals
what if
we came home
and the earth,
shifting in uneasy sleep,
might dream
us sweeter
If only …
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm a soft-headed romantic (ok - not maybe, then), but I believe all this. So much so that I want to print this out and keep it near me.
ReplyDeleteBecause, to see and be seen in the ways we humans ache to be seen. It's been there - here - all along. A solitary plenitude.
(i believe it, too...)
Delete