The Elder

an old man
in a tattered grey coat
stumbled down
twisted paths
and forgotten cul de sacs
lifting every stone
    looking for god 
silver thin wisp of hair
shining brightly in the november sun
weather beaten face
brimming with
youth and excitement,
experience and wisdom...
having lived and loved and
failed so so many times
past and passing
 thru the darkness
every night
and
awakening to the light
everyday...
in every way
done with judgement
finished with blame
but unwrapping the
gift of each day
the wonder of each person
    the  wonder  of  each person
everyone he knows
everyone he sees
passers-by on the street
total strangers
    and most loved ones
all thru the same prism of grief and joy
thru the lens
 of every blue sky
and every tall tree
he feels their spirit
their souls through
 the falling snow and
icy ridges
and lonely canyons...
and oh the smiles
the tears..
the weariness and sadness
the joy and pleasures...
pain and suffering,
each in its
treasured place
of a life
built upon one
brutal moment after another
 poem by hsk

"if a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear
if the trees falls inthe forest does anybody hear
does anybody hear the forest fall the forest fall?"
 lyric by Bruce Cockburn
"
Christmas poem