The Day’s First Utterance *

First written for Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Formation's Prayer Notes.

Every morning,
before dark gives way to dawn,
a first voice greets
the day.

This morning,
the wood thrush’s melody
floats out of the woodlands
and across the field.
Other mornings, the peewee’s
plaintive song whispers
the day’s beginning,
or the cardinal’s piercing whistle
awakens the chorus,
or the catbird’s sleepy chatter
gently rouses
his companions.
 
Some mornings the first voice
is a last voice from
the night before...
the green frog still in the mood to party
or the field cricket not yet settled
into daytime sleep
or the great-horned owlet
begging one more morsel.
 
Some mornings’ first murmurings
are the whoosh of wind in the spruces
or the sigh of the rushing creek

running high,
or the pattering of a gentle overnight rain.
 
Every morning,
before dark gives way to dawn,
the Voice within all voices
beckons,
awakening
and welcoming us
into the
day.

 
*Title from a line by J. Philip Newell in Celtic Benediction, Saturday Morning Prayer.