There is
On the wind
A secret word

One biting
One thrilling
One true

Yet to hear it
One must listen

Whether the sun rises
Whether the stars shine
Whether the ice recedes

I will be glad

Whether the clouds part
Whether the flowers bloom
Whether the world awakens

I will be glad
For you will be there

My soul aches
For memories
It cannot recall
For a time
Long past

Let me stand upon a warmer ground
With soft earth between my toes
Grasses tickling my soles
As verdant odors fill me

I have walked far

And though the shoes upon my feet
Have worn
Have changed

And though the skin upon my soles
Has calloused
Broken
Healed

And though the ground beneath me
Is everywhere different
Soft, hard
Cool, hot
Barren, verdant

The earth remains
And ever will

Oft the earth trembles beneath my feet
Not great and loud and rumbling
But quiet
As a bird at dawn

And I can hear its words
Its pain
Its want

As it speaks with a voice
Of billions
Lived and gone

Who now dwell within it