The Panther

His gaze was fixed upon the passersby,
behind the bars of the cage;
they stride and glide past him, in the velvet dark of the night.
He feels these movements,
and with a roar’s gentle sound,
his throat is filled with fur.
He knows nothing of the light,
where they breathe and dance
inside of a world of colors.
Surely, he once had a home,
filled with forest and cooling shade.
A simple night.

Autumn Day

Lord: it is time. The summer was immense. Lay your shadows on the sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go free.

Command the last fruits to be full. Give them another two more southerly days, press them to ripeness, and chase the last sweetness into the heavy wine.

Who has no home now will build it no more. Who is alone will stay alone in the midst of the vast world.

The Book of Hours

I

The first page of the book is made of grass and petals,
and the first word is the face of the world,
shining.

O my soul,
remain in this garden of the earth. Collect this beauty through the eyes of faith.

The Waves

In the waves, in the waves,
my heart ebbs and flows.
It feels the salt on its brow
and knows no rest.

Four winds bring me
destiny’s salt
as I lean and listen,
a haunted leaf.

The Garden

O, how my beloved garden blooms! Full of laughter, joy of humankind,
where trampled sleep turns to air and light,
and bees hum softly in the soft dusk while among the flowers the stars appear.

The Song of the Wanderer

For the traveler, wandering
through the course of his eager soul,
beneath heavy arches of branches
the trees have grown beside.

They nod, a thousand years,
in the deep, terrestrial breathing
pulling the roots deep into the darkness
and bursting them into flames.

Moonlit Night

The night is silent; stars
a floating, a roving beyond the stillness;
so the moon rushes between
your voice and your pale skin.

It falls in love, gliding over the grass,
and melts slowly into howls of the trees
where shadows stretch like memory,
calling to each winding part.

The Quiet Fields

The quiet fields we lovingly tread
and pause to listen to the sparrows sing,
each sumptuous note twirling through the air,
we feel the mysteries unfold and expand.

The Silhouettes

Shadows wrap around trees,
and flowers of considerations,
hushed below the craft of night,
come shimmering forth.

Silhouettes start waltzing, and every breeze calls
a hero’s haunting name,
their arms spread wide
in open secret.

Evening

A dusk that brings the soul dance in the hue of the sunset; with scent woven in wind’s caress, I can feel life breathing close
a fading day into night.

Nature’s Dance

Cascading sound from the shore,
with joy lapping at my feet, I beheld a world where liquid fruits burst beneath the sun’s hot gaze.

Each moment rich with wonder,
where rustling leaves tell tales
of every traveler’s journey, while forgotten paths wander into dreams.

Ceremony

Here, the earth opens wide,
as if to cradle all that breathes, and in the swell of life, I find my place, as petals gather dew-worn brightness
below the morning’s tender caress.

The Wild

In the wild embrace of nature, the strands of wildflowers twist, weaving wisdom into my soul, carried by gentle winds across my thoughts.

Each hue a secret told
beneath the cavern of shades, the forest ring echoes a song,
singing of the life we chase,
where all becomes one.

The Breathing World

O, come dance with me in the fields
where every blade is a breath of grace.
Together let’s weave a tale of sighs,
in the warmth of earth and the kiss of skies.

Where shadows caress and wildbirds sing,
let us linger where the song takes wing.
In the heart of this realm, we find light,
where love and nature warm the night.

• Rainer Maria Rilke