BROTHERHOOD
Liberty Hyde Bailey
In remembrance of
Interdependence Day
July 4, 2009.
Weather and wind and waning moon
Plain and hilltop under the sky
Ev’ning, morning and blazing noon,
Brother of’ all the world am I.
The pine-tree, linden and the maize
The insect, squirrel and the kine
All-natively they live their days—
As they live theirs, so I live mine.
I know not where, I know not what:—
Believing none and doubting none
Whatso befalls it counteth not,—
Nature and time and I are one.
The wild bird fashions its nest of straw,—
The bird abides by its time and law;
The forest stands by the night and day,
The flower blooms and it fades away;
The earth grows green and the earth grows brown,
Life rises up and then death comes down;
The life and soul of the things that be
It flows on and on unceasingly.
The wind blows out to the ageless sky,
And the placeless clouds go floating by;
The rain descends and the rivers flow,
The summers come and the winters go;
The dusk returns and the morning light,
And call of day and the voice of night;
The ages run to a silent sea,
Flowing and flowing eternally.
I am the bird in its nest of straw
And I abide by my time and law,
I am the tree standing night and day,
And I am the plant that fades away;
And men grow green and the men grow brown,
And life rises up and death drops down;
And men, and life, and the things that be
They flow on and on unceasingly.
I am the wind that blows to the sky,
And ageless cloud that goes floating by;
I am the rain and the river flow,
I am the seasons that come and go;
I am the dusk and the morning light,
The call of day and the voice of night;
And I pass out to the silent sea,
Flowing and flowing eternally.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
