Caressing a leaf,
Fallen from the tree of life,
I trace the intricate veins
With the tip of my finger.
What things that tree has seen
Over eons of history,
A tortured pattern
Of vicious destruction.
The human race,
Seeking to dominate,
May in turn eradicate
All life from earth.
On that final day,
We will shed a tear
For the broken promises,
The wicked schemes.
Oh, in so many ways,
How things have gone awry.
Brother killing brother,
The best have shown themselves
To be far from perfect.
But in these jaded times,
All of us have to pull together,
For no one person has the strength
To carry all the wounded,
To heal all the hurting,
To mend all the broken
Tapestries of life.
When we bind ourselves
To each other,
When we lay our bodies down,
So that another creature
Can make it one more day,
We become an integral part
Of the redemption of humankind,
And the miracle of mercy.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 