A Gift of Poetry from Shadowcliff Friend Christine Rech

It is our honor to feature poetry from a friend…

Poetry from Christine Rech  (Munich, Germany)

Finding hope and encouragement from the talent and generosity in our midst, we offer these thoughtful words, shared by Christine at a recent Shadowcliff Building the Fire gathering. We hope her poetry inspires us all toward a more kind and loving world!

“I Never Walk Alone” 
Though walking by myself I never walk alone
In mother nature’s garden I always feel at home
I hear the song of the birds, I hear the screech of the hawk,
I see a torch of light spreading out in the dark
There is lightning in my soul and rolling thunder in my heart
When the Great Spirit reveals in front of my eyes its perfect work of art
There’s nothing else I can do except to be grateful and pray
From dawn to dark on every single day.

“Surrender”
Every single day
I follow my way
Guided by my inner voice …
What a good choice !

Regardless of bruises and scars
I look at the moon and the stars
And each and every hour
My heart is growing like a flower

The world unfolds in front of my eyes
Magical and wise,
Beautiful and tender
I close my eyes …
… and I surrender

Dear America,
In your vastness you spread between two majestic shores
In your greatness you have it all :
High mountains, grand canyons, silent deserts, great plains
You have people from a thousand nations
Of which one hundred are ancient and bound to the land
You used to have wildlife spreading over the plains and predators chasing it at night
They are gone now … except a few living in secluded areas
They still are alive memory in the hearts of the people who used to live among them
From North to South, from East to the West
You are different but still the same
You have cities reaching the sky,
You have cities that never end,
You have cities in the wrong places,
You have the Sunshine Boulevard
But also the Trail of tears
You have rockets flying to the sky
And coming back too !
You have wonderful open minded people
But others as well !
You have a violent and painful past
But also a loving and merciful one !
Dear America ,
I have a wish for you,
A very small one but hard to achieve:
Return to the values of the founding fathers and the old nations
Be a peacemaker instead of making war.
Respect nature instead of worshipping dollars.
Have flowers in your hands instead of guns.
In your giant multicultural heart
Have love and hope
Instead of fear and hatred.
Be a true home for everyone
As you have always been
For me.

“What Can We Learn From a Butterfly”

They do not care about age
To them each day is a perfect stage
They do not feel worries or sorrow
They are not afraid by tomorrow
For yesterday they would never cry
And they have no clue
That one day they will die.
When it gets dark
They produce a magical ark,
They lite their little torch,
They spread their tiny wings and fly
And our hearts are delighted
By the thousand little lights
Flickering towards the sky