“Ways of life change only in living.” Wendell Berry, The Body and The Earth
10.
What is my great
life project
but to
be loved?
Belovedness is
my great accomplishment.
My fame and
success in
the quiet
embrace.
The refusal
to be widely
known. The
turn from smiles
of approval and
acclaim.
And instead the
small hidden
place of love.
To strive for that
place. To organize
a lifetime towards
that embrace.
Will take a lifetime
of quiet. And
maybe more.
11.
I come again
to the trees.
The same place
but a week
later.
What has transpired
among these trees
these seven days
past?
What revolution
or coup? What
birth and rebirth?
What resurrection?
I see moss
and bark much
as they were
last Friday.
But they are
not the same.
Much has
changed. I’m
sure of it.
So, I ask
the trees.
And wait for
their answer.
12.
I watched
the leaves
fall.
And then
the rain came.
And it is
raining still.
And these
trees receive
it as a blessing.
A gift given
to receive
in stillness
and quietness
and joy.
Simply as trees
and nothing more.
No other hopes
or expectations
but to receive the
rain
with joy.
