A New Poem: The Directive

The pool is one of my favorite places to go over poems, but now it seems to also be my new venue for getting poems.  Today, I was swimming laps and reviewing poems for next month's Rumi's Caravan, when these words came into my head.   Brand new and not revised or edited!

Here is the directive:

            No matter what is coming,

            No matter what is here,

            No matter what you feel,

            No matter what you fear,

Sing!

Lift your head and sing

            to the sky and the tall trees.

Bow your head and sing

            to the earth and the tender

            green shoots raising their heads

            after the rains.

No matter if you can’t carry a tune,

No matter if you wake up raspy-throated

            and hoarse,

No matter what your feeble excuse,

            Sing your morning prayers.

            Sing your evening prayers.

            Sing just because.

Even if you only sing a silent song

            inside your own head,

Even if all you do is hum, or chant

            your little walking song,

The earth and this life

            are so worthy of praise.

And what better way to praise

            than to sing?