Yosemite Creek, below the falls, Yosemite National Park
Above Portage Glacier, Portage Valley, Alaska
Invocation
Come, Spirit, on the wind;
Whisper me the secret prayer,
That lifts the plane of mortal mind
Over peak and meadow fair.
Come, Father, speak with me
In water's laughing leap and crash,
In wind's swift rush by rock and tree,
In thunder's roll and lightning's flash.
Come, Savior, keep me long,
Like granite columns, aging slow;
Lead me through creation-song;
Light my path with alpenglow.
Confession
There are winter places in my soul
Where dark and icy currents flee
To lie hidden, somber and dull,
In dim crevasses, wrapped in scree.
The valley walls seem high to ascend
Beyond the crevasse of condemnation;
Much easier to slip, than mend
The path to reconciliation.
Help me escape the icy trap;
Raise me from the wintry grove;
I seek you warmth; reach out and wrap
My soul within your embracing love.
Bridalveil Creek, Yosemite National Park
Forest, Yosemite National Park
Assurance
I begin in the shadows
Below leafy bough and hidden nest,
And gently rise to sparkling meadows
Where streams slow their pace and rest.
I continue where the forest
Leans against granite column and dome;
And talk with Marmot in his rocky nest,
The visit Bear in his summer home.
I wade through springtime's glad rush
Of creek, where it nourishes flower and sod;
In evening's calm, I taste the hush
As I walk in the hand of God.
Praise
The eagle sings his praise
In a glorious and wild cry
That pierces the world within my gaze,
And decorates His unblemished sky;
I sing with the eagle.
In whispering limbs, the forest voice
Praises with a quiet rush,
Deepened by shadows, cool and choice;
Strengthened by majestic hush,
I whisper with the forest.
The granite praises with the dance
Of glowing sun and water's splash;
For life leaps laughing with a prance,
While light laughs leaping with a flash
And I dance with the granite.
