A Rock, A River, A tree

    s to species long since departed,

    Mark todon.

    t dry tokens

    Of their sojourn here

    On our planet floor,

    Any broad alarm of tening doom

    Is lost in t and ages.

    But today, t to us, clearly, forcefully,

    Come, you may stand upon my

    Back and face your distant destiny,

    But seek no haven in my shadow.

    I will give you no hiding place down here.

    You, created only a little lohan

    too long in

    the bruising darkness,

    oo long

    Face down in ignorance.

    Your mouths spelling words

    Armed for slaughter.

    t today, you may stand on me,

    But do not hide your face.

    Across the world,

    A river sings a beautiful song,

    Come rest here by my side.

    Eacry,

    Delicate and strangely made proud,

    Yet ting perpetually under siege.

    Your armed struggles for profit

    collars of e upon

    My ss of debris upon my breast.

    Yet, today I call you to my riverside,

    If you udy war no more.

    Come, clad in peace and I he songs

    tor gave to me when I

    And tree and stone were one.

    Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow

    And ill knehing.

    the river sings and sings on.

    true yearning to respond to

    the wise rock.

    So say the Jew,

    tive American, the Sioux,

    the Greek,

    t, the Sheikh,

    traighe Preacher,

    teacher.

    they all hear

    tree.

    today, t and last of every tree

    Speaks to o me, he river.

    Plant yourself beside me, he river.

    Eac of some passed on

    traveller, has been paid for.

    You, w name,

    You Pawnee, Apache and Seneca,

    You Cion, h me,

    t,

    Left me to t of other seekers--

    Desperate for gain, starving for gold.

    You, turk, t...

    You ti, the Kru,

    Bougolen, arriving on a nightmare

    Praying for a dream.

    yourselves beside me.

    I am tree planted by the river,

    be moved.

    I, tree

    I am yours--your passages have been paid.

    Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need

    For t morning dawning for you.

    ory, despite its wrenching pain,

    Cannot be unlived, and if faced h courage,

    Need not be lived again.

    Lift up your eyes upon

    the day breaking for you.

    Give birth again

    to the dream.

    omen, children, men,

    take it into the palms of your hands.

    Mold it into t

    Private need. Sculpt it into

    t public self.

    Lift up your s.

    Each new hour holds new chances

    For new beginnings.

    Do not be wedded forever

    to fear, yoked eternally

    to brutishness.

    the horizon leans forward,

    Offering you space to place neeps of change.

    his fine day

    You may he courage

    to look up and out upon me,

    tree, your country.

    No less to Midas t.

    No less to you noodon then.

    his new day

    You may o look up and out

    And into your sisters eyes,

    Into your brotry

    And say simply

    Very simply

    ith hope

    Good morning.