Beannacht

On the day when the weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance to balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind the grey window
And the ghost of loss gets into you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green, and azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays in the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow wind work
These words of love around you,
An invisible cloak to mind your life.

John O'Donohue (1956-2008)

audio file courtesy "Speaking of Faith" on American Public Media
photo credit: Colm Hogan 2006