. peripatetic imperative

          WALKING



 

We need to walk

to know sacred places.
 

Healthy feet feel the heartbeat

of our Mother Earth,

Sitting Bull said long ago.

Walt Whitman knew that, too.
 

When we go by wheel

we roll over the land

as if it were nothing

but miles left behind.
 

When we go by air

we cut off our vision

and even our spirits

may take so long

to catch up to our bodies

that our eyes will be empty

of all but flight.
 

We need to walk

to remember the songs,

not only our own

but those of the birds,

those kept in the arms

of the hills and the wind.

 

We need to walk

to know sacred places

those around us

and those within.



      joseph baruchac   (abenaki)















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