since you have told the birds to sing
have them rise for us too have them
blot out the sky with their angry breath
have them darken the wind with their
crazy wings and strange cries -- and
since you have told the flowers to rise
have them cover the earth for us, have
them ruin the meadows with their soft
sweet petals and their unruly pollen --
have them cast their children out like
criminals into the world have them eat
the wind whole have them swallow the
sun have them walk like apostles into
the stinging rain -- and since you have
told the worms to crawl into the bellies
of men and the wolves to hunt for the
weak and the elderly and since you
have told tumbleweeds to run away
from each other and the crabs in the
sea to wave their arms like scissors --
and since you have told the horses to
race along and the dogs to bark and
scorpions to sting and since you have
told lizards to bask in the heat and
since you have told elephants to clown
with each other and the mountain trout
and the cinch bugs and the cottonwoods
down by the river – and since you have
told the people to fight with each other
and to kill or be kil led and to hunger for
each other and fear and make claim,
have them love each other too -- have
them feed have them clothe have them
shelter have them nurse have them just
love each other anyway -- and when
they’re done with all that tell them to
sing to each other too, for us