XIV
AIR

The breeze that blows over the fields
infuses our bread with sunlight
and melts the snow on the mountain peaks;
and in the forest it rocks the leaves
with dreams of solitude, and above
the boundless sea it sings a lullaby
that enflames the earth with its waves;
there were sighs from your loving breast
and from the mountain sides your words
took flight as though from a nest.
You, the Word, without air, or a voice.
Out of the blue it entered your lungs
where it felt at home, and collecting
the fluid from your blood, it poured out
in showers over the wild flowers.
The last burst of of air from your chest
broke the cold silence, and then your lungs
were empty; your breath was absorbed
by that of your Father: a rivulet into the sea!