Out beyond Eden it was also garden.
Still is. And we are still here.
The tangled roots of the Tree of Life
hold us, have never let us go.
Fruit trees gladly share with us,
the grasses embrace us,
the ocean bows at our feet,
forests lift their arms in prayer.
Currents of air and ocean swirl
like Vincent’s starry skies—
too much paint! too much energy!
too much color! wild, unleashed!—
all speaking the language
of beauty and overabundance.
Every creature has its part,
receives its blessing, offers its gift.
The toad is not ridiculed for its looks.
The slug is not accused of being lazy.
The worm is not thought of as lowly.
The crab with its little tweezer hands,
the woodpecker whacking away,
the desert scrub, the barnacles
waving their silly little fronds,
all find their food.
Every great predator contributes.
The lions are subject to the fleas.
Vines grow in Chernobyl,
blossoms, every year, at Auschwitz.
There are dragonflies.
The great power each is given
is not to dominate, or even to survive,
but to belong.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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