Two ravens appear
flying to the wooded point,
the sound of their bark
distinct from the call of crows.
Geese honk in vigilance
then quiet as they take wing
toward a distant island.
Gulls cry plaintively,
winds sough through the trees,
and dew lays sparkling upon the grass.
Deep mother of night
opens to bright father of day
and I join the choir,
surrendering the castle of self
to the awakening world.
I fly with geese,
bark with raven,
bloom in the rain
and rise up shining
like green grass
for beyond castle walls
there is life ever inviting
toward the unguarded
moments of oneness.

photograph by Louis MacKenzie
Reading of “Beyond Castle Walls” with music by the Grateful Dead