Let your cynicism-soaked soul
sink back into the soil
to be worked over by worms
and other sacred people
in juicy darkness
until enough warmth
penetrates
and cracks your hard seed open
shooting green
once again
feeling the moist dirt
look for the sun
with holy eyes
take a deep breath
and remember:
You belong here
For a single shadowy moment
we gather under one big sky
as the munificent star
that feeds us all
plays cosmic hide and seek
with grandmother moon
and all her earthly relations
stirring cottonwood leaves
with a chilly morning breeze
and tricking birds into nightsong
as the light fades
the silence of
a sacred pause
falls upon the land
perhaps for a moment
we forget all the lies
that divide us
on our path to totality
as we gather under
the one big sky
The ceremony really begins
when tears
of remorse
fall into the desert dust
like a long-awaited thunderstorm
releasing all the heavy, old stories
and ends with tears
of joy
swelling like the waxing moon
which is how Life
committing to itself
looks on the face
Why some take a wedding walk
and others a funeral march
is not for humans to know
Anointed with essential oils
and wearing a desert gown
some hold hands with themselves
carrying a bouquet of sagebrush and mormon tea
Anointed with blood and sweat
and wearing a torn mountain cloak
another holds hands with death
and a bouquet of heart-shaped rocks
The Great Inyo sun shines on both
with equal regard
the great witness
to the vows
which are the same for all:
Thou shall not abandon thyself
Do you take this Beloved,
lovely creature of the earth
to have and to hold,
from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
until death do us part?
and with an exchange
known only in the bones
of the land
and the wellspring of the heart
the Yes
is born
once again
Bees buzz and dragonflies dance
as the wolf howls call us into circle
We settle in to be unsettled
vulnerable to the rising eastern sun
and the gaze of others
Witnessing our unfolding stories
spiraling in towards the truth
that is ours alone to claim
arriving at our target
like an arrow of Artemis
no longer invisible
we become curious about what
sacred nuggets and rose-scented revelations
come pouring out of our heart-mouths
into the Inyo
The sun keeps chasing us, saying:
“You can’t hide anymore”
But it can rain at any time,
and sometimes it is rainy and sunny
at the same time
in the weather systems of our soul
And now: we show up
to take our places on the land
in gratitude and yearning
in celebration and commitment
marking the next unfurling
of that place within ourselves
which is none other than
taking our true place in the world
We bring but our gift of tears
of grief and joy
and ears to hear
what is already here
The land speaks with us
and through us
because we are not separate
we do not believe the Big Lie
The land speaks through us:
as an earth poem that unlocks hearts
as a log we carry home in love
as a bird with whom we whistle, saying, “Pay attention”
as an exquisite trust in the Beloved, the Great Mystery
as the scent of a burnt tree
and paw prints in the dirt, tracking them back to the Source
as a rabbit dancing with love and fear
as gnarled roots we love
as an ever-emerging tree being seen
as an unmatched sunset, saying goodbye with a squeeze of the hand
as honey in the rock that cracks open
as a consuming fire that forgets what it once was
as a mid-day sun stretched between the horizon of elation
and the horizon of desperation,
taking a Sacred Pause
knowing IT IS ENOUGH
Because the land holds us
holding
all the parts
all the parts
all the parts
I have a such a soft spot for You,
our sole solar sidekick and savior
today you linger longer along
Your solo stellar sojourn
sliding so surreptitiously
through the celestial sphere
spinning like samsara
You give solace and sustenance
with spectacular style
You serenade our sleepy souls
shake off our sluggish stupor
and scare away the shadows
to seduce us from our sheets
so today I salute You
and offer this sentiment of celebration
