Ritual
by Anne McCrady


Imagining Eden,
I savored an apple.

Taught Ten Commandments,
I studied Nature’s laws.

Guided to genuflect,
I knelt to smell clover.

Given a hymnal,
I listened for birdsong.

Memorizing Psalms,
I sipped honey and milk.

Hearing the parables,
I planted some wheat seeds.

Told not to cast stones,
I built a peace cairn.

Promised a heaven,
I sought the forest.

Warned of hell’s fires,
I stood in the sun.

Seeking the sacred,
I considered Creation.

Counting my blessings,
I numbered the stars.






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