In Praise Of

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by Susan Solinsky

Recorded by author

 

Anyone who stands up again, quietly, to witness
a sapphire sky above a Giant Sequoia
or Great Whale breaching and churning the sea;
and praise for those who sit down, wherever they are,
eyes closed, hands and feet silent to this world,
eyes opened inward;
And praise to everyone who faces
the raging rivers and inland lakes daily,
swirling winds and smoke-filled air,
to those who tend the arteries and lungs of the earth
honoring the flows sacred to life and health;
Praise the ones who treat the wounded and the dying:
the two legged, the four, six and no legged,
the ones who bind the brokenness with kindness and skill
so whatever can knit back together, will do that
and be stronger in time;
While and still, the young wait, perched, eyes round
in marvel of yet another sunrise and the gift of daylight,
as they learn to read the tapestry of stars and moon falling
through the night, with owl song spinning dreams
beneath their eyelids;
Praise every breath lifting from lungs and belly, snout and hole,
nose, mouth, gill and spout that pours into this Everyday Soup –
this living broth thick with contradictions and mystery
that pushes and pulls us, increases then fails us,
turns and twists us
so we arrive naked, tender, raw with tears and maybe,
maybe even receptive –
Come, drink this praise and simple benediction,
gradually turn,
open, bow to holiness and wisdom
that keeps the Great Wheel turning, as it must,
this time, around and ‘round.


Recorded by Carmen Rumbaut

 

Susan Solinsky has lived in the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada for 45 years, on  land once tread by the Nisenan Tribe. 
Her daily practice is of honoring the ancestors, her own and those who resided  on the land and to bless her life and her family’s. 
She moved from the San Francisco Bay Area in mid 1970’s to settle on several  acres with her husband, where she raised a family, worked in the schools, and  continued to write as she’s done since childhood.  
Some of her work evolved into short stories, dreams, poetry and some were  published. 

5 thoughts on “In Praise Of

  1. This lovely poem, an ode to inclusiveness, touches all the bases, blesses them, and
    brings them back into the readers’ hearts. Thank you.

    • Love the turn taken towards the end. “…we arrive naked, tender, raw with tears, and maybe, maybe even receptive”.

  2. I love the flow of Susan Solinsky’s first poem, the rhythm that draws you forward, inexorably, sensing new visions just ahead, while echoing what has passed and is passing.

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