Pine, I am calling to you Aspen, I am singing to you Redwood, hear this song Birch-bark, weeping willow and Dogwood, blooming moonlight Cedar, let it fall, fall away Oak, you bore my body Bay, I bade you open these vessels… To receive your whispers tender breath-keepers givers of life to these lungs may I open my ears and surrender what can you tell me how can I tend you how can I tend to the ones who pour life through these lungs… Care for these rivers going dry bone and sorrow held as pain, drought of feeling, yet the rain can give us freedom, forest rain, but if we cut them, it goes away, help us open these vessels… To receive your whispers tender breath-keepers givers of life to these lungs may I open my ears and surrender what can you tell me how can I tend you how can I tend to the ones who pour life through these lungs… “We, for every one of us you’ve uprooted you can soothe it by planting another of the same as the kind you’ve uprooted every ending a beginning if you choose it… you can soothe it… if you choose it…”

Ricochet pinecone riverside elderberry underwater rushing tightrope walker Whistlestop coming soon I gotta go, gotta tiptoe mudslide tightrope walker Timid as a raindrop bold as the iceberg broken as the thorn of the blackberry crushing Goose-down comfort blackbear hideaway going out for winter tightrope walker Undertone overcast in breath outside, going on a limb and tearing of the bandage uncover fearlessness when lightning strikes it meets in the middle, as a bone-bent riddle be met with a riddle be found inbreath outside… Ricochet pinecone cavernwide honeyberry waterbent keeper tightrope walker Elderwise timestone rise a gaze east-side telling to the cradle tightrope walker Told as a footprint burned as a brightening sudden as the rush of the rib-bent whistler Windsweep set-down shadowside lightaway fool-eyed leader of the tightrope walker… Ricochet pinecone riverside elderberry underwater rushing Underbelly overcast going on a limb and tearing of the bandage (tightrope walker) (when lightning strikes) outbreath inside (when lightning strikes) inbreath outside outbreath inside inbreath outside

Look at the river as it winds down the rise like a tear goin’ down cheek-side creek to the body of blood, salty golden holding’ the life of our own, though we do not look…

My brother lives in a jungle concrete like a belly gone to rumbling only wants a taste of the sky wind and fire, setting the seeds for the son of his son come with him one day to come My sister, her hands are raised for the stakes are high and she knows it and I am singing for her vision singing for her vision This is not mere speech all we seek is here where we stand and shape as clay, turning tides dug deep and wider still to hold what comes and wider still to say We'll never be moved from here our lives will live in the seeds we've sown calling what's coming clear our will is held in the gardens we've grown as light from the sun we can give as rivers meeting can become one walk toward the call of this and plant it deep for the ones to come One day none shall be imprisoned for tending the land for feeding our children One day we will cherish the soil valued more than gold its value more than gold One day our hands will raise for the way we walk and how we own it and I am singing for this vision singing for this vision This is not mere speech all we seek is here where we stand and shape as clay, turning tides dug deep and wider still to hold what comes and wider still to say We'll never be moved from here our lives will live in the gardens we've grown calling what's coming clear our will is held in the seeds we've sown as light from the sun we can give as rivers meeting can become one walk toward the call of this and plant it deep for the ones to come My brother live in a jungle concrete like a belly gone to rumbling only wants a taste of the sky wind and fire, setting the seeds for the son of his son to come with him one day taste the roots he was born from pass him the story how all hands came together as one

She spoke, “there is a beacon becoming” and I dove into a sea of stormy winds wail their might was mighty swift and running (every which way) “stay with it, child you’re changing” she sang, Sister sun your ivory tongue is flowin’ like the waters run and all my thoughts jump into feathers abound fall on the page down, feathers abound fall on the pages Sister sun your inner lungs are spinning shapes alive and wove in vision praying, pray our spirit, turn, our heart’s’ll become (and what these words do and what these words do…) Sure as flight (and a dash unruly), and faster than the breath you’re heaving your wild (as a righteous fury) can be led or be leading inside, what a maze of ladders, so you look and look a while (every which way) this fire, by the burn of-our grandmothers, shapes the way of your choosing so stay, stay with it, daughter you’re creating this and every sound you give make sure you’re aiming it Sister sun your ivory tongue is flowin’ like the waters run and all my thoughts jump into feathers abound fall on the page down, feathers about fall on the pages Sister sun your inner lungs are spinning shapes alive and wove in vision praying, pray our spirit, turn, our heart’s’ll become… You got flames for wings, and at the stake is the claim of your wild speech fake is the flurry try to keep you in a bind, shake shake shake it off like the way the dragon ride out of your cave you’re a beast of another dawn like a wake on the current that her voice will carry you for another lifetime keep your sight set right, leadin with the sound of the the arrow, fly (and what these words do and what these words do…) Sister sun your ivory tongue is flowin’ like the waters run and all my thoughts jump into feathers abound fall on the page down, feathers abound fall on the pages Sister sun your inner lungs are spinning shapes alive and wove in vision praying, pray our spirit, turn, our heart’s’ll become

How do you do when the rain gets under your skin leakin’ tidepools like it’s a whim And what do you say when it’s all gone sideways and fools and your heart won’t beat with the rules little beckon like a shoot on the path you’re pushin’ past these boulders pushin’ past these boulders And how do you do I think the rain has somethin’ to say little message in a bottle to pray all your grievin’ for the healin’ of time let it run like rivers and they will flow as the following leads ‘em touching’ roots of the bodies beneath ‘em as a bundle to the future be given little beckon like a shoot on the path we’re pushing’ past these boulders Let it run like rivers let it run like rivers your tears are healers so let ‘em run like rivers

Take my prayers, take them out to sea may the waters of all worlds ye meet here given to you and here released here given as it was given me And I listen to the waterfall fallin as a waterfall down it comes like a waterfall fallin like a waterfall down listen to the waterfall fallin as a waterfall down it comes like a waterfall fallin like a waterfall down If you make a big enough wave it’ll come back to greet you…

Turn, turning you a bent-bone weary wandering soul and born, borne upon a body you can never own, rollin’ you a long-bent sideways tumbling a mother-given loom you knew it when you flew in shuttlin’ weaver you are goal-bent, but do your strings hold the strength of what was given, when you flew in? Burn, you’re burning your own home, some days could you live a little lighter, give a little water, give a little eye to eye- see from what you’re made, gotta lil’ shadow in your wake, wakin is the way you grow this, know this gotta lil’ matter to be bade, met and given it away this the trip we being shown, told is all we’ve ever known what another truth you gonna hide? baby finding that you choosin’ every moment lookin through the frame they givin you There’s a turn from the fear a stand for the free a song for the beat-down picking’ up steam and you will hear my voice here singin’ there’s a let from the greed a gift for the kind and I’ll be dancing’ with the ones who remind me we are born of dust and silence we are made of ancient songs and there are ones who’ll keep us sleeping and there are ones who bring the dawn put your back to the birch and your mind to the matter of a listening kind of way we are born of dust and silence we are made of ancient songs… Rose, rose upon the shoulders of the shoreline, eyesight creeping round the edges of the known you’ve known it from before, before your sight was shorn shifted and they told you not to talk of this but you remember in your sleep, all the ones that you could see raisin’ candles to the sky, through the forest dark as night wide-eyed, keep stride this the path you bein’ shown sure thing keep singin to the ones you walkin on They the wonder, you the sky they look upon you are clouds to them, givin’ harm or givin’ form Do we greet them with a grace? Do we run or do we face the ones who helping us to heal our choice and choose again {CHORUS} Bade farewell all you’ve been told waves are rising you to shore it’s not what you say what you think it the walk and the way that you do so you give what you give what you can what you give what you give what you are what you give — give what you want what you give what you give what you can what you give what you give what you are what you can, you will hear my voice here singin… give what you can what you give, give what you want i’ll be dancing with the ones who remind me… i’ll be dancing with the ones who remind me… we are born of dust and silence we are made of ancient songs and there are ones who’ll keep us sleeping and there are ones who bring the dawn put your back to the birch and your mind to the matter of a listening kind of way we are born of dust and silence we are made of ancient song…

Once you free your sight once you be for life We are… When I dream, I dream in white, of bells and birdcage, boat dock sun and the cargo spice of what's to come like the images come one after one But this time, it was night the moon it lilted brightways sharp and the words to sleeping drifters dance as though to fall from page alive… When the light fell down was a wild burn like the night said, it could be learned with the journey you took a chance to forget when you start the dance… Did the hairs on the neck of time stand straight with me speaking their name and the pride that can make us blind does it simply fear being shamed oh the branch, is it known by seed how it comes to be… and do the blooms know their righteous power the beauty of being Seen Oh the pride that can make us blind! does it simply fear being shamed and the tide in it’s ever-pulling would naught but by breathing be tamed oh the thought is it known by speech how it comes to be… and do the colored blooms know their righteous power the beauty of being Seen… When I dream I dream in flight the swells and stills of all that’s come and the setting forth our kindred sum a point in a constellation When the light fell down was a wild burn your mission forming with every turn to assemble and piece it whole to remember this dance we woke The beauty of being Seen…

Sun leaves the day we forgot our bones till we’re kissed with the breathless cold, and the light we forgot these colors die with the darkness dark, in the dark… Faith, run away I have chosen to be bound by these towers saved it is safe we forgot the shape of the question still forming blind, it is blind keep me safe these castles feeling feels fearsome bold, it is bold, and I hold the rungs of the ladder I’m climbing in the dark — in the dark we forgot these colors die without the light this is light we forgot to look till we see only absence Sitting before the moon she asked for a vision bless me with sight and all came in swift and soon words to the wisdom blessings of tongue and tangled ‘tween life and grave grave was the pulling life was she calling tangled ‘tween life and grave allowing herself to become all her fears at once was she life and grave allowing herself to become all her fears at once was she life and grave allowing herself to become… Sun leaves the day we forgot our bones till we’re kissed with the breathless cold, and the light we forgot to look till we see only absence dark, in the dark we forgot these colors die without the light this is light we forgot the shape of the question still forming

Hum inside my heart a little while come closer with the honey of your song your dance is a code is a pathway to what’s given I am learning how to listen Hum inside my heart a little while from you comes the honey of my song tender to the tendrils blooming color taste and longing for you who kiss the petals of my reach Our minds send us farther than our legs can carry us but your flight weaves the membrance of our step So we give our voices so we give our voices to the ones who’ve left us So we give our voices to the ones who cry in silence So we give our voices so we give our voices to the ones who’s speech is runnin’ under soil beneath… Subtle in… Subtle as your flutter beat lung beat run beat hum… Hum inside my heart a little while…

This day was like any other any other day this one like another castle briars bristle-stickin’ keeping the inside inside, tight like a bird in fright ‘fraid to let go and lowly go let it go let it go go go go go go — “go!” said the light before me, and “wait”, said the siren’s plaintive cry, and “look!” said the smoke “look I am sudden ruthless and hurriedly burning you” And the people were scrambling for their lives and the people were scrambling for their lives and the people were scrambling for their lives and the drive by fires brought water to my eyes You stirred me deep as you burned me sweet and then piece by piece I let it blaze in We walk as though we know where we’re steppin’ We go as though we’re the ones in charge… Help me remember as i’m running, I’m running remember as I run by you too quick to fire blink quick to burn brick home up and gone up and gone… Help me remember it can be gone so fast help me remember all that has gone past help me see i am here just to hear how to be i am here just to hear how to be i am here just to hear how to be i am here how to i am here just to be just to simply Be When we’re all just scrambling for our lives help the drive-by fires bring water to our eyes… Castle briars bristle-stickin keeping the inside inside, tight like a bird in fright ‘fraid to let go and lowly go let it go let it go go go go go go — “Go!” said the light before me, and “Wait”, said the siren’s plaintive cry, and “Look!” said the smoke “look I am sudden ruthless and hurriedly burning you” When we’re all just scrambling for our lives help the drive-by fires bring water to our eyes…

Who’ll fetch the water? will it be your great grand-daughter my darling who’ll fetch the water? What will be it’s course from the source how will it find us my darling what’ll be the course? and who will call the rain feel it fallin’ to our skin from a welling deep within who’ll call the rain? and who’ll strike the drum when our thundering heartbeat needs it when the feet gotta pray it down who’ll beat the ground? who will speak in truth and where will they walk it, show us how my darling who’ll sow the truth and where from will it bloom to the story as we shape it for each other, brother sister what we choose this breath we been given this life we are tending this garden we are seeding for the ones yet to come Oh who will fetch the water will it be your great grand-daughter my darling who’ll fetch the water? I’ll fetch the water And I will be the course and I will call the rain I will call the rain