I want to bathe in the river of beauty,

to dip below the surface of a world

in perpetual strife.

I want to dive into the depths

and rise again with understanding

and grace.

I want to bask in the trilling of a songbird

I cannot name,

serene, secure,

singing atop an ancient ash:

a tree made stronger by storm and stress.  

***

I want to float in midnight waters

and awaken to the moonlight of awe:

To dip my toes in pure wonder

and wish upon a star.

I want to feel the gentle undercurrent

of a deeper, wider,

undiscovered hope

tugging me along to landscapes I have not seen,

and music I have not heard,

and colors not yet combined and contrasted —

transformed into new creations.

I want to be amazed and humbled

by all I do not know.

***

I want to cleanse myself with compassion,

to feel again the depth of Soul,

to swim against the current of our time

and understand the pain in another

without judgment.

I want to be the river,

the wind,

the mackerel and the blue heron,

each struggling to survive,

and know the world

through them.

***

I want to bathe in the river of beauty,

to immerse myself in the divine waters of

tenderness and togetherness,

and feel again

the joyful connection of earth and sky,

creatures and me.

–Patricia Adams Farmer