I didn’t know life
Until I
Sat still in
Its presence
Until I
Looked up
Looked deep
Looked through
The every day and
Saw beyond to
Witness…
Witness
The Swallow Tail eggs
Resting like pearls on
The face of
Supporting leaves
Witness
The sparrow on
A tiny branch
Observing
My moves as
I kneel down to
Bear further
Witness to
An ant on
Its pilgrimage through
The grassy forest
Below
All happening
While a
White and black
Checkered
Spider sits on
High like
The king of
The jungle on
The tip of
A dying leaf
I didn’t know the world
Until I
Closed
My eyes
Buried
My mind in
My heart and
Heard…
Heard without thought
And listened…
Listened
Without need to
The sounds of
Life beyond
The mundane
Day to day…
The chatter of
The gossiping
Chickadees
The chilling
Emotion of
The screeching
Hawk being
Lifted
Higher and
Higher
Caught in
An updraft
The humor of
The mimicking
Blue jay
Perfecting the
Sound of
A car alarm to
Impress
A potential
Mate
The buzzing of
The grumpy
Bumble bee
Zigging and
Zagging and
Never tiring on
Its search for
The sweetest
Flower
These sights and
These sounds and
These feelings
Mix and
Melt
Sinking
Down
Deep and
Deeper until
It touches
The deepest
Part of
Life
Within
Me
I didn’t know I was alive
I didn’t know myself
Until these moments
Reminded me of
Who I am
I am alive
I am living
I know
Myself as
Being
I hear in
This moment
The words of
Truth
I feel it
Rise up to
Meet
My truest
Self
I see my life in
This life
I know
Myself as
Alive
And it all makes sense
Perfect
Beautiful
Sense
I am
Well acquainted with
This natural
World on
Its slow
Turning
Evolution of
Creating and
Recreating
Life
I’ve been
A part of
It all
Along
And it is
A world
We can not
Create
Even as
We create
Over it
Our
Noisy
Hectic
Chaotic
Way of
Living
At best
We can
Merely
Appreciate
The natural
World and
Choose
A Natural
Way of
Being
Because
This is
The world
We long
Ago awoke
Into and
Opened our
Eyes and
Saw with
Conscious
Understanding
The amazement of
Life
Its been
Here since
The first
Atom
Split and
It will be
Here after
I take
My last
Breath
And in
This moment of
Awakening
I am
Over and
Over again
Reborn to
Appreciate
The delicate
Beauty
The fragile
Wonder of
Who we are—
Living beings
We are
No more
And no
Less than
Alive
Here
Today
With
The birds
The butterflies
The ants
And the spiders
I am alive
And at peace in
This world
Where
Leaves hold
Life and
Bees
Gather it
And hawks
Call out to
It and I…
I see it
I hear it
I feel it
And I
I know
My true
Self in it
In One
Breath
In Two
Breathes
In Three
Breathes
I’ll be gone
But in this wonder I will live forever.
CL June 2014