God's Fingerprint (Poem)

DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR JOY

I REMEMBER LONG AGO, my grandmother taking me for a walk in the woods. Showing me plants and flowers, bugs, and birds. Talking to me about how they were all connected, that the spirit of all creation flowed through each and every one and that all life had God's fingerprint on it, had been made by the same design.

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I asked her "Why?"

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SHE CHUCKLED (because I was always asking why). Then, she said, "Because he likes to dance."

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I STARED UP AT her for a moment and tried to imagine God dancing. And then, looked out into the forest ...

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"SEE HOW the trees sway in the wind," she said, "and how the birds when they fly go back and forth, up and down and around each other. And how the leaves twirl and spin as they fall to the ground."

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I LOOKED at each of these things.

A shadow stick figure dancing
When the wind blows, this is a fun place to be.

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"NOW, close your eyes. And feel what you saw. And listen to the music of the forest. And feel the rhythm of the Earth. Of life."

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I CLOSEDS my eyes. And she said nothing. Just waited.

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And after awhile, I said: "I FEEL IT."

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"THAT'S GOOD," she said. "That's good."

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AND I'VE BEEN feeling it ever since.

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Thank you, Grandmother ... Thank you!

~ Michael Traveler, author/poet