But When She Sings

To only hear her whisper

is to enjoy a cool breeze

in an Arizona desert

Yet never realize

it was once a tropical storm

blowing from the south pacific

But when she sings

every beautiful sound in nature

rides the wind

and every creature and man

on earth are kin

When she speaks

her voice is soft and kind

Yet there is only a hint

that the souls of men

have given her the rights

to their song

But when she sings

angels flood the sky to listen

and mortals imagine themselves

dead and gone to heaven

yes in her breath

ordinry people fly with angels

And to only hear her laughter

is to never know her pain

And to only hear her cry

is to never know the joy

But when she sings

the tragic and the true

the happy, the blue

all comfort one another

in the revelation of song

that even death is nothing to fear

for life itself

is forever changed

(c)Nathan Richardson         2001

from Likeness of Being