Massive white clouds
bank against the mountains
while a blue gray blanket
spreads over the sea.
Nootka roses bloom
as the camas wilt and fade.
The chitter of birds in the forest,
the cry of gulls across the bay
and the slow beating of my heart.
The ease of love
where her face is unveiled
in shore grass green and yellow
waving in the ocean breeze.
Is that enough to draw you near
before the sky grows dark
and night closes in?

Reading of “Before the Sky Grows Dark” with music by Van Morrison

You won’t find me in those old haunts,
the cobblestone streets above the river
where metal bridges and railroad tracks
lead to the iron bound city.
I acted the fool, irresponsible and careless,
but there was method in my madness,
following the stars and dirt roads
to be with wild geese and towering trees.
In the distance fog banks cover the mainland,
ferries sound their deep throated warnings
yet here on the island the skies are clear
and a great orange sun brightens the land.
I couldn’t scrape the city clean
nor my own heart on those unforgiving streets
but I’ve found a home on this quiet shore,
swept by the tide and ocean wind.
The grass is soft and night skies dark
while into the silence the old songs rise
with a place for you beside the fire.

photograph by William Kennedy Hornyak

Reading of “On This Quiet Shore” with music by Boccherini

In first light
the clouded skies
begin to lift,
sun burning through
to warm and awaken.
Quiet lays upon the land
with the sound of birds
and echoing calls
of nesting geese.
Heavens open
to the waiting earth,
intimate the touch
on a rising whale,
the throb of hummingbird
and this human heart
given as the ancients taught
to the blessing way.

Reading of “Blessing Way” with music by Norm Smookler.

We are an old people,
among the first the stories say,
who walked the land
when fresh with the Creator’s touch.
Though scarred with years of trouble
yet we sing the blessing songs,
greeting the Sun each day
with the thankfulness it deserves.
And sing for you
a song of belonging,
child of a distant Light
and ancient Mother.
May you walk in beauty
all your days, and if forgotten
may this song remind you.

Reading of “May You Walk in Beauty” with music by Navajo Dreamer