And A Meadowlark Sang
Ravindra Kumar Karnani
(This poem was originally written in the Hindi language.)
The child whispered, ‘God, speak to me’
And a meadow lark sang.
The child did not hear.
So the child yelled, ‘God, speak to me!’
And the thunder rolled across the sky
But the child did not listen.
The child looked around and said,
‘God let me see you’ and a star shone brightly
But the child did not notice.
And the child shouted,
‘God show me a miracle!’
And a life was born but the child did not know.
So the child cried out in despair,
‘Touch me God, and let me know you are here!’
Whereupon God reached down
And touched the child.
But the child brushed the butterfly away
And walked away unknowingly.
“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
—John Muir
“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” — Rabindranath Tagore
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’”
— Sylvia Plath
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. … There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
—Rachel Carson
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” — Henry David Thoreau
Moment by Moment 
Lesley, this is wonderful.
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Nature is wonderful and I’m so grateful for all the authors, poets, philosophers and artists who express it so well. Thank you Ashley!
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“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” — Rabindranath Tagore – I like this one Lesley – Beautiful poem as well. Thank you for sharing 🙏
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I like that one too. You’re welcome, AP2. 🙂
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This is a beautiful take on how our expectations supersede our experience. Thanks for sharing my friend.
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You’re welcome, Bryan! I’m so glad that there is a wealth of wonderful works from writers who are able to express how I feel. It’s a joy!
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Thank you for posting this. The Earth yearns to embrace us like a lover, but we always play hard to get.
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We do, don’t we. 😀 Thanks Siena.
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Everytime I go outside, I’m amazed! Mary Oliver wrote, “When it’s over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement.” Thanks for your posts!
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Me too, Sabishi! That’s a wonderful quote from Mary Oliver. Nature makes me feel so glad to be alive!
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I just had to tell you this, Sabishi. Yesterday I bought a book called The Enchanted Life by Sharon Blackie. I was out all day and have only just looked at it today. In it, she has written a Manifesto for an enchanted life. There are 13 points to it and one of them is ‘Look for the wonder wherever you go. Be all your life, as American poet Mary Oliver suggested, ‘a bride married to amazement’.
😀
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What a beautiful coincidence, Lesley! I love it!
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Yeah, I love it when that happens!
I’m off to the river with the dogs now. It’s pouring down. Yay!
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This is really beautiful!
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Thank you Melanie. 😀
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