An Ode to the Real World

Sunrise in Khonoma

if a glorious sunrise

and all the shades of the sky

can bring me to tears,

i do not need a spirit to move me.

if a walk through

the busy, living forest

can cleanse my thoughts and bones,

i do not need a shrine made of stone.

if the song of birds,

and the sound of rain and thunder

can leave me with warmth and comfort,

i do not need sermons and boons.

if the clouds, the trees, the stars above,

and the eyes of a deer, and the flight of an owl,

can bring me to my knees in overwhelming joy,

i do not need a lord, a god, a saint, a clown.