Whatever disturbs your pure flesh
	that grew from the pine forests and alpine lakes
    whatever disturbs your mind as it cares for the animals
as it strikes the chords of the eternal cosmos
	it is true is but a moment in passing life
but it wounds you and distorts you from the winds
that carry across our place in time and history
and because it disturbs your flesh it does your mind
as it does all of our minds in this awful time
	as our minds are born of flesh and spirit

we must rise beyond the flesh that weakens us
and beyond the mind that can be caged by fear or hate,
and we must understand in our flesh the power of words
and the arrows and hatred and fear they can bring
		and Death, that too,
and how to use them ourselves as shamans once did
or as phoenixes that flew above the fires of Homer
and rose from the ashes more powerful more horrible
	than what had sought their death

and so this is what I say to you, what I leave you
across every breakfast table in America every home
where a husband and wife are looking across time
and each of them are looking the same way each
     of them are looking across every breakfast table
as the sun is rising over the tired buildings they inhabit
the commercials playing on their radio and TVs
and the pages of the small town newspapers they turn
as they wait for the coffee to cool just a little more
are all saying the same thing but are still missing
what each one of them might say before the day begins
and must say before the sun goes down on our time,
and if they do then each one of them will change the world
and oh your pure flesh though scarred will be of all that is holy.