Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through night and day—
and to her soil: rich, rare and sweet
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing, light-changing leaf
and fine root-hairs; standing still through wind
and rain; their dance is in the flowering spiral grain
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift and silent
Owl at dawn.
Breath of our song clear spirit breeze
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets,
freedoms, and ways; who share with us their milk;
self-complete, brave and aware
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers;
holding or releasing; streaming through all
our bodies salty seas
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through
trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where
bears and snakes sleep— he who wakes us—
in our minds so be it.
Gratitude to the Great Sky
who holds billions of stars— and goes yet beyond that—
beyond all powers, and thoughts
and yet is within us—
Grandfather Space.
The Mind is his Wife.
so be it.
Prayer for the Great Family / after a Mohawk prayer
Gary Snyder, Turtle IslandNew Directions, New York, 1974, pp. 24-25
Posts
Gratitude for you, my wonderful friend! Happy thanksgiving,
ReplyDeletelove, Karin
I also post this with great and tremendous gratitude. I am so glad to find you through Karin, so glad you are there for her, so glad I received your book today (Patience is so far, my favorite:)
ReplyDeletexxoo
thanks K...what a great time with the whole gang...10 of us and a laugh a minute for two days.
ReplyDeleteHi Patti...so good to find you here on this lovely thanks giving weekend...the poem 'Patience' came as I cared for Nanny in her most challenging days...calming and gentling were so important as Nanny became more and more distrustful of all who cared for her.