Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground

Sometimes my soul seeks solitude.
My hectic life goes much too fast.
The ringing phones, the constant rush,
I crave a place that time has passed.

I have a cabin in the woods,
A small place where I can escape.
Far from the crowds and honking horns,
A get-away from life’s red tape.

I am one of the lucky few;
The mountains live in my back yard.
The Appalachians, tall and proud
For Mother Earth, her constant guard.

I drive out to my small retreat;
Its peaceful silence welcomes me.
I settle down to take a nap
Relaxing in tranquility.

Then, pulled from sleep, I come awake.
A voice says I must come outside.
I look to find my walking stick;
This urgent call won’t be denied.

Again, it whispers in my head;
A gentle call from deep within.
I feel directed to a path
It beckons me, so I begin.

The evening sun, the winding path,
The uphill climb, the slope is steep.
I walk as though I’m in a trance
Called forth by visions in my sleep.

The way is narrow, barely there.
It hardly seems a path at all.
Could others once have come this way?
I follow still, that whispered call.

The trail continues, up and up.
The whisper is much louder now.
It seems to tell me “Hurry; come!”
So, on I push, through branch and bough.

Then there, amidst the trees and shrub,
An open clearing comes in view.
The whispered voice tells me to stop.
I need to rest and so, I do.

Voices echo all around me.
I hear the sounds of beating drums.
Shadowed figures swaying, dancing,
One shadowed figure, to me comes.

“You come to us from far away;
You stand upon our sacred ground.
You answered to our call of need
The People choose you, honor-bound.”

“You crave life away from chaos?
We need someone to keep our ways.
Our own children have forgotten
No one remains to sing our praise.”

Then the drumming overtook me.
I sang and chanted, danced and swayed.
Old ways would not be forgotten.
I felt a choice had then been made.

I come often to the mountain,
Far from the noise and busy pace.
I still hear their whispered voices
The Old Ways I try to embrace.

Everyone should hear the People
And find a piece of sacred ground.
Lose their chaos and their tension
Released to something more profound.



rhyme: abcb
rhythm: 8-8-8-8