Sister Jina reads this poem from Call Me By My True Names - The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh, republished here with the kind permission of Parallax Press.
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MORNING OF PEACE
Treading the path that leads to the moon,
I look back and can’t stop marveling.
I see a bubble of water on the immense ocean of space.
It is the Earth, our green planet,
her sumptuous beauty sparkling and proud,
yet oh so fragile.
In her, I discover myself.
Walking mindfully on the earth,
a grassy path,
my feet make the promise
to embrace the early morning
and touch the peace of the present moment.
Autumn leaves fall and cover the path,
unrolling a carpet of walking meditation.
A shy squirrel, hiding behind the oak tree,
looks at me, surprised,
then dashes to the top of the tree
and disappears behind a cluster of leaves.
I see a clear stream
flowing between cracks in the rocks,
its water laughing,
while the trees whistle.
Together we celebrate a morning of peace.
At the same time,
I see places of deep suffering
where men imprison men,
and make each other suffer—
the waves of discrimination, hatred, and greed,
inevitable causes of catastrophe,
crash upon the earth.
Chicks of the same hen
wear different colors in order to fight with each other.
Heartrending cries declare the horrors of war.
Brothers and sisters,
the beautiful Earth is us.
I embrace her and hold her tenderly against my chest.
Breathing together in the same rhythm
we restore our calm, our peace.
Let us accept ourselves
so we may accept one another.
Let us share the vision and make it possible
for Great Love to arise.