The Waterfall

In the valley, below the hill, Where the heart of the world seems still, The waterfall sings of Eternity— Personifying the breath of time yet to be.

With a clatter and rush, like a wild, sweet muse, It leaps from ledge to ledge, what shall we choose? To listen in stillness to proud waters dash Through rocks and flowers, a sensuous splash.

In the laughter of youth, in the mind’s deep hush, The waterfalls whisper; the music—such rush. I stand alone—under the treetop dome, My heart and the song find a common home.

• AJM Smith