3-5-06 And the Lion Shall Lie Down with the Lamb

Today peace came to me in the sound of water Rippling over river rocks And a deep sense of connection to Mother Earth As I sat on a sandy riverbank. Today peace came to me in an afternoon escape from Asphalt and automobiles Streetlights and city sites Traffic jams and radar cams Today peace came to me in the form of a majestic blue heron Poised still as a statue on a large gray stone By a rocky river in the desert. Peace came in the spreading of those magnificent dusky blue wings And a graceful lift off into a stormy gray sky. Today peace came to me in the roaring silence of wind over water Waves slapping the shore And a sliver of moon in a smoky-gray cloud-filled sky. Nature understands about peace. Peace is coexisting in the fullness of our uniqueness. It is not about homogenization Not about blending Not fading together so all is the same. Peace is human and heron Sitting by the same river Existing in the same sacred space In harmony. Nature understands about peace The Coyote has no political agenda… Does not envy the soft brown coat of the rabbit Or the soaring of the eagle. Cougars do not whisper insults behind each other’s backs The animal kingdom does not create strife and anger With their judgmental ways. Nature understands about peace. Animals do not form governments and military institutions To force their beliefs on another species. The dove does not coerce the butterfly to eat what doves eat Or live where doves live Or think what doves think Nature understands about peace Dove with butterfly with eagle Sharing space with cougar and rabbit and heron Living their lives in the moment Being who they really are. Nature understands about peace There is no comprehension of war The lion may not lie down with the lamb But neither does the lamb gather forces to kill all the lions. Today peace came to me in the form of a river A lake And a blue heron. And for a time, peace was all that existed for me Peace is all that nature knows. How our world would change if the human species could rise to the mindfulness and wisdom Of our brothers and sisters in nature. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.