When Earth Meets Sky
By John Herlihy

The sky reaches down to the earth,
But more than that, so much more.
The earth reaches up searching why,
The pure land suddenly became as sky.

The forest valley dozed in summer’s heat,
The valleys wandered amid highlands.
The blue river ran quickly in its flood,
Sending forth starbursts of pure light.

Dawn’s feathery light awakens the day,
Noon’s meridian takes shadows away.
Twilight’s sharp spears signal day’s end,
Night’s cloak covers villages to land’s end.

The mountains arose upward as in a dream,
Then fell back to earth in animal slumber.
A distant swamp flashed its nasty black eye,
Accusing the innocent heavens of being sly.

By day the red eye of sun glares upon earth;
By night, moon’s pale eye rises and gives birth.
Yellow-eyed sunflower droops its head shyly;
Its heavy head hangs low, no longer sprightly.

A child stands mute between earth and sky,
Standing on the horizon not wishing to pry.
The earth meets the sky in mutual embrace;
Nature never questions God’s beloved face.