Home Calling Cry

Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!

From Footnote to Howl

By Allen Ginsberg

Holy the ground:

Alive beneath

The soaring, hungry Osprey above.

Holy the ground:

 Of rotting oaks, hidden mosses,

And snaking betrayal.

Holy the ground:

Paced and stripped,

Raked and planted.

Holy the ground:

That carries our protests,

Our feeble dances and holds our tears.

Holy the ground:

Where we lift prayers for reconciliation-

Hope against the darkening sky.

Holy the ground:

Burnt and ravaged,

Wasted and renewed.

Holy this ground:

That waits us awakened

Aware, and ready.

Holy the ground:

Where the weary will plant

And the unjust may harvest.

Holy the ground:

Its rising in spring,

A perpetual reminder for forgetful souls.

Holy the ground:

All flesh that feeds it

And hands that pound in sorrow.

Holy this ground:

That holds you,

Will hold me.

Holy the ground:

That feeds us green, and full

To outlast the hate.

Holy the ground :

That bears our warring

And cradles our losses.

Holy the ground:

That bears no grudge

Freely offering its forested forgiveness.

Holy this ground:

 That holds it all, patiently

awaiting the home calling cry.

The featured image is courtesy of Aaron Burden.

You can see more of Aaron’s remarkable images here and here.

Susan Mulder

Susan Mulder finds herself on a journey to find peace with herself and in the world. Writing poetry is a way she challenges herself after laying down her previous career/s to pursue God’s path for her future. With a terminal degree in fine art in painting, she has held several positions in what she calls her ‘old life’. Though Mulder continues to paint and exhibit and is the author of a poetry collection, No Ordinary Time, she finds her deepest expression (and joy) in writing and within the eyes of her grandchildren.