Poem: Voices Of Creation

Listen, child
Can you hear it?
No, no, not with your ears only
But with your whole
Body, mind, and soul.
Now do you hear
The voices speaking to you?
The trees and the grass, rocks and seas
The birds and snakes, bees and deer
All creatures
All creation
Speaking to you?
“That’s animism,”
The doubters say.
“No, truly,”
I reply,
“It is the experience
Of a life spent learning how to listen.
It is the practice
Of hearing individual tunes.
Further,”
I ask,
“How can you expect
To be stewards of creation
If you do not hear
The voices of creation?”