I Sing a Song of Man and Earth

 I Sing a Song of Man and Earth

           - With a nod to Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.”

I walk the world observing keenly its mighty ways and lowly.

Equal both, for without the seed there is no tree.

I connect with the stranger who has his own story to tell, a story unique, and yet with a yearning common to all - to love and be loved.

I see myself in the mirror of the family passing by - father, mother, child. I smile. They smile. 

I salute them. They do the most important work on Earth.

My heart overflows with love and gratitude for all I experience…

The love of a woman, the friendship of a man,

The gummy smile of a baby,

The precision of a wordsmith, and that of a woodsmith,

The spiritual leader who inspires by example,

The parents who raise their voices to their children in song,

The teachers who love to see the flame of knowledge in their students, the flame they kindled,

The farmers at the market, who plowed and planted and picked our sustenance,

The makers in the forge shop, hammering the white-hot iron into something of use,

The policeman with compassion,

The peacemaker who builds bridges,

The heroes of the hospitals who care for the sick at their own peril,

The differently abled who pour out their love without inhibition,

The brewmaster who, with a toast, celebrates the joys of creative work,

The lovers young and old,

The advocates for the Earth and all its people.

I hear the voices of the lost, the dispossessed, the hungry, the homeless.

All have powerful stories to tell about their challenging path in life.

I live in a house of many stories, some comic, some dramatic, none untouched by human heart.

My heart beholds beauty in all things - perseverance in struggle,  the joy of the journey.

I am an empath. I feel what you feel. I know your pain and your joy, both. When my eye meets yours, I see your shining heart. I see what I see, and it is good. I am honored by you.

I am a poet of the masses, strong in my faith in humanity. I mingle with those on the stage of life and those still in life’s audience. I want the best for all peoples of the Earth. I am the draft that fans the fires of love. 

I enjoy the play of words on paper. I take great joy in being present at the creation of a poem.

I am a seeker. My journey is from the beginning to the end of each moment.

I exult in Nature’s wonders.

I love… 

The trees, and they return the love with the purest air;

The turtle who, like me at times, carries his house on his back;

The fish who breathes in water;

The bird who flies and sings;

The greenery which grows and flowers;

The loon who makes his plaintive call over northern waters;

The chickadee who twitters in the snowstorm, the smallest but hardiest of winter birds;

The sun who sets the clouds ablaze with color.

I sing the song of the wind in the trees,

                         of the falling waters,

                         of the glories of the sunset,

                         of the pounding surf,

                         of the rolling thunder,

                         of the flight of the hawk,        

                         of the brilliant, blue sky,

                         of the turning of the Earth,

                         of the Moon reflected on the water

                         of the spring into summer,

                         of the fall into winter.

I canoe the waters of the wilderness where live the moose and wolves.

I lay down by the lakeshore and marvel at the play of light on the water. 

I plant thousands of spruce in the northern forests one at a time, striking my mattock in the ground, placing a seedling in the hole, and stamping it in.  

I climb a mountain and find there a man of my own ilk to share the view of the western range.

I plumb the depths of the Grand Canyon, and wade in the Colorado, before climbing back up.

I connect with the she-whale and her calf in Baja Magdalena.

I swim, I hike, I bike, I boat, and my spirit soars.

I sing the song of Man and Earth. My heart overflows with love and gratitude for all I experience.