In our local galaxy
earth sits cozy
in a Milky swirl
of tars and planets.

On our local planet, wheat ears
dance green then yellow,
clouds in a mackerel sky send
water drops trickling over
cracked dry earth, insects and birds
set up marvelous growth systems
billions of prolific diatoms produce
food for whales, lay down
limestone, make crude.

In our multi-chambered body
blood travels to every
remote shantytown,
clotting and flowing
where called on,
cells carry on dividing,
rightly or wrongly,
awaiting judgment later.

Let honeycombed bones
keep us upright, let eyes and ears
serve us valiantly against the odds,
let mucous continue to glue us, let
bacteria wars be waged in our guts
and neurons pass messages swifter
than Twitter at every level, down
to the molecules of our inner cosmos.

In the vast community of life
grant this flawed, awed body
to know
and love
its own tides, its music.

Mary O’Connor rsm
US Province