thankful….

in the rain…no coat, no shoes…hiding behind cars,playing with hisimaginary friend…the old woman atthe window shakesher head…‘somebody oughtado somethingabout that boy…’closing her blinds,she pours anothercup of coffee,and sits downto read her Bible.

deep and grainy,weathered and beaten.the trunk of an old tree,where birds hide their nests,and squirrels meet to plotthe downfall of man.hollowed and sketched,with dignity unspoken,the scars of love and wars,where insects breed and whisper.and time itself,bows in awe and respect,for the tree that knowsitself to be a tree!

when i fell in the forest,there was no one to hear my cry.when i turned brittle and brown,no one mourned my decay.when i became lost in the earth,i found i was the universe!

knowing only the windthat undresses the night.the eyes of an owl,dead branches walking…moonlight and darknessthrust and parry, and dance.the smell of damp earth,the kingdom of spider and snail…moss and vines wrappedaround the throat of time…no footprints, no memories,no flapping of wings….the unnamed hand coversall trace, all thought….all that which was urgent,eternal… of universal need…becomes small…

tell me the storybehind your faraway stare.i can see by your wrinkles,and the scars on your hands.it’s been a long journeyfrom that faraway land.tell me who and why you fought,tell me what you won and lost.tell me who that you loved,and who paid the cost.tell me what you learned,would you do it all again?have you…

feed your cows and your pigs,always stop to give thanks.close to the earth, the seasons,to your family, to your heart….to your neighbors, to your friends, .do your best, do your part.till the land, till the land,plant the seeds, pray for rain.feed your cows and your chickens,always stop to give thanks.from generation to generation,the traditions handed…