The Good Earth

For your perusal, I have included a few sample poems and the Table of Contents from The Good Earth: Canyons of Gratitude.

River Songs

Destined to the river on any day, alone,

You arrive, audience to a private concert,

And still yourself beside its lulling movement.

Each piece of water begins to play out and down and

Past you like a note you’ll never forget.

The music strengthens, strings and horns

And celestial sounds rising from the belly of the earth.

Transported through this wet river passageway,

Sounds melt around each waiting rock into your heart, and

Slowly, like the long hand of time,

Become your own sounds,

until you begin to sing back to the river its own song

and the river sings you.

The deep meditation of the heart

rolls on notes alive with each furl of water

before and past your momentary self.

You dance inside yourself and join in, falling silent

Silent and hearing with the ears only you and the river know

A water chord rising to the sound of your long attention.

Wind Brother

Late summer rains have left their moisture clinging to the

moving canopy of tolerant sycamore trees overhead.

Cool breezes waft cares off my tired body and roll on along

the rim of a patient earth.

When the wind quiets I slip to the ground, sighing, and

wait for the slightest hint of God.

This is how I know myself, by how the breeze enchants me.

Wait Awhile

Let’s not return to work again quite yet,

Giving into the demands of the day…

Let’s drive to the edge of town instead

Where we used to slip into that overgrown meadow

And talk only of dreams.

We can roll over together in this long-stemmed field,

Prop up on our elbows,

And whistle through stems of grass.

We’ll forget orders and deadlines

And production schedules

That rob us of memory.

We’ll breathe in moist earth

With the sun on our backs

And tell stories on our bellies.

I know of nothing better than

To laugh with you and

Sip in this day of delinquent sky.

THE GOOD EARTH: CANYONS OF GRATITUDE, TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I: MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, AND TREES

Bridgers―O-Wa-Nee

Tobacco Root Mountain Baptism

On the Property, Springhill

Leaving the Crazies

Witness

River Voice

River Songs

The Standing People

The Sacred Rooted

The Good Earth

PART II: ANIMALS, SEASONS, AND THE ELEMENTS

Moose Morning

Bear Medicine

Seasons of Moose

Serengeti

He Goes Easily

August in Montana

Horse Medicine

Eagle Wind

Wind Brother

Cloud Dancing

PART III: QUIET TRYSTS

Secrets

Remembrance

Wait Awhile

Sustenance

Ard Na Sidhe, On Loch Carragh

Innisfallen

Montana, Flathead Lake

PART IV: ALL WHO WANDER

White in Tucson

Ventana

Gold Lake, Colorado

Ireland

We Who Know Innisfallen

The Sidhe

Arriving, Elkhorn Ranch

Thank you for reviewing the sampling of poems you will find in The Good Earth: Canyons of Gratitude. You may order this book and Robyn’s several other books through your local bookstore, link, or directly from the publisher at link. Check out my website, link for information on all of my books and possible blog activity. I welcome your responses.