Holding the Whole World

 

The wars drag on and the horrors 
I can do nothing to relieve.

Yet catbirds are building a nest in the hazelnut
I planted outside my window.

The climate changes faster than we can keep up,
causing suffering I can do nothing, single handedly, to allay.

Yet red-wing blackbirds are raising a family
atop the arrowwood in our hedgerow.

The rains did not come to southern Africa this year,
bringing hunger I can do nothing to mitigate.

Yet mockingbirds gorge 
on serviceberries in the front yard.

I urge my representatives to intervene in the world's needs
but their responses I cannot control.

Yet tree swallows are nesting in the gourd
I hung behind the barn.

I donate to relief organizations
but in the neediest areas aid does not get through.

Yet hummingbirds sip from columbine
and beardtongue in the back garden.

I grieve for all the changes I cannot bring
to the wide world.

Yet I am grateful for the all the changes
that I can.

Listen with Your Heart

This is my favorite poem, but I did not write it. It was written by Edna Jaques and I came across it in a British magazine while living in Botswana long ago. The pictures are from Kurt's Appalachian Trail hike in 2022.

Go out, go out, I beg of you,
and taste the beauty of the wild.
Behold the miracle of earth
with all the wonder of a child.
Walk hand in hand with nature's God
where scarlet lilies brightly flame.
Make footprints in the virgin sod
by some clear lake without a name.

Listen not only with your ears,
but make your heart a listening post.
Travel above the timber line,
make fires along some lonely coast.
Breathe the high air of snow-crowned peaks,
taste fog and kelp and salty tides.
Go pitch your tent among the pines
where golden sun and peace abides.

Follow the trail of moose and deer,
the wild goose on her lonely flight,
savor the fragrance of the wild,
the sweetness of a northern night.
Drink deep of distance, rest your eyes
where centuries of peace have lain.
And let your thoughts go winging out
beyond the realm of man's domain.

Lay hold upon the out of doors
with soul and heart and seeking brain.
You'll find the answer to all life
held in the sun and wind and rain.
Where'er you walk by land or sea
the page is clear for all who seek
if you will listen with your heart,
and let the voice of Nature speak.

               Edna Jaques