The Two of Us – How Long We Lived in Illusion!
The two of us – how long we lived in illusion!
Now, in changed bodies, we escape quickly,
as nature escapes;
We are nature – we were far from it too long,
but now we return,
We become plants, blades, leaves, roots, bark;
We are wrapped in the earth – we are stones;
We are oaks – we grow side by side into the open space.
We dig deep – we are a pair of wild gardens,
masters unto ourselves like all others;
We are two fish swimming together in the sea;
We are like buds – spreading scent through the meadows,
in the mornings and evenings;
We are also the dung of cattle, wood, and minerals;
We are two birds of prey – we fly above and gaze below;
We are two suns – we carry the weight ourselves,
suspended like a ball, like stars,
we are like two comets.
We walk the forest with claws or paws – and fall as prey;
We are two clouds, before noon and after,
wandering through the sky;
We are mingled seas – two of those joyful waves
that roll over one another and soak each other.
We are like the atmosphere – we accept,
we contain, we expel;
We are rain, snow, cold, darkness –
each of us a child and a consequence
of the earth’s own chaos.
We circled round and round
until we returned home – the two of us;
We left everything behind, except freedom,
everything, except joy.
