A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

When sunrise reddens the morning sky,

in a sailor's warning,

do you see the mist wrapping 

breathtaking shawls

around the shoulders 

of the shivery hills?

Notice the cedar pointing poky heads 

through the clouds,

as if they are peering around

to see what kind of day it will be.

Hear the slap of a beaver's tail 

on the sleepy lagoon.

To creatures both rooted and rootless,

it is the most beautiful world.

Far off, red-robed monks

are walking prayerfully 

in the footprints of the snow leopard,

to hang prayer flags atop 

the snowy mountain peaks.

They gaze upwards towards heaven,
where their prayers are ascending
to the gods of the Himalayas,

and the thought of them

- humble, prayerful -

expands my heart with love

for this most beautiful world.

When noontime is lazy with the heat,

and bees buzz sleepily 

around the summer gardens,

when you bite into a ripe red strawberry

and juice drips down your chin, 

and you laugh as you catch the drops,

when the mourning doves call

from the top of the willow,

it sounds like they are

joining in earth's song: 

it is the most beautiful world.

When sunset turns the horizon 

into a crimson canopy,

with accents of gold and purple,

to majestically close the curtain

on the dramatics of the day,

when the moon rises up 

in the indigo sky

and the stars come out winking 

like mysterious mystical messengers,

when the dark hills huddle 

like a sleepy giant

along the inner harbour,

and the fading song 

of the whippoorwill

echoes across the inlet,

is the song in your heart 

the same as sings in mine?

A song of songs

to this most beautiful world!

for Sumana's prompt at Midweek Motif: The World Is A Beautiful Place. Despite all of the suffering on this planet caused by humans, one has only to look outdoors to remember: it is truly a beautiful world.