smaller things

He used all of his strength
to quiet the voices within;
those that urged him to stand and walk.
Long since the tribes of oak and sycamore had ceased,
when the wandering hardwoods and cedars
fell to quietude and inner view, they had not walked

Standing as if tied to Earth, feeding on
the generous warmth of the sun, he used
all of his strength to beat back the rhythm
of pounding foot marks.

It was well, with the purge of giants
that quietude prevail, the ways without change;
the world belongs to smaller things
that so busy stay
that they change the places in which they
scurry in daily circles, maddening creatures they,
that flit and irritate land, wind and water.

It is well to stand and watch
learn shorter breaths and longer sleep.
He used all of his strength
to remain hushed and still,
to creak in the stretching bark,
bend with the music of the winds
and celebrate like the stars, each
passing generation of the busy small ones;

as they move like snail foot, to gain
peace, and someday they may find
quietude.