Do not steal the air from me
I could not bear such poverty
And fill again the pristine sky
With dirt and soot that stings the eye.
The earth our home we must not foul
I long to hear coyote’s howl
We share it all with birds and beast
The giant whales and microbes least.
The streams and lakes and oceans wide
The care of which we must abide
This is our home from which we came
To spoil it now will be our shame.
I thought that I had lost
a swan.
Viewed through the window
And across the lake
They sailed there mornings
On most fine days
As a threesome of waterfowl
Forming a triptych
Hinged in their beauty,
Into my vision such
Clouds upon the water,
Joy upon the heart.
But then one was gone
So it seemed
And out of kilter was my new
view,
A rowboat plying with but
one oar.
The remaining pair flew
low and muted
Across the ice covered
lake
Whistling for their vanished
friend
Or so it seemed.
And I counted down their
loss and mine
As the way of the world
both harsh and cold
Which sometimes snatches
up
Such beauty and promise
Rendering forever
The goodness from their
lives.
But then I saw on this
grey dark day
Found, not lost the triplet!
Gliding across the distant
way
And still within our
visual bond
Pallid and strong against
the breeze
And so it seems
What was lost is now found
Whose return required nothing
more
Than fidelity
Which is to say:
Have faith and hope,
Let’s wait and see.
Do not steal the air from me
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