Secret in the Wilderness
By John Herlihy

There is a secret in the wilderness,
A secret that nobody knows.
No one even pretends to have an answer,
Why from nothing anything grows?
From the rocky craigs of the mountain,
A flourishing trees arose,
From roots to branch life flows.
People spoke of an ancient fertilizer,
Used in the days of yore.
People gathered the excrement of doves,
To be scattered amid the limestone,
Sprinkled with a dusting of earth amid stones.

There is a scent of almonds in the air;
On the tree delicate flowers bloom.
Who can solve this mystery,
That puzzles people into a swoon?
A simple goatherd approached,
As the trees limbs gently swayed.
He stood before the tree,
As his fears slowly allayed.
His lips formed a question,
That no one could have assumed.
He said: Speak to me of God
At once the almond tree bloomed.