Cartas da Mantiqueira

MR old man – believe me, I wrote this for a new friend:



Which source of kindness and beauty gave you that stare
that locks onto my thoughts
brings out deep truths
jostles my chemistry
heart, chest, sweat, mind in musical synch

Which doter of courage gave you that spunk
that moves you to strange worlds
approaches young bodies
stirs my imagination
heat, sound, lights, motions in urban mosaic

Which provider of wisdom gave you that common sense
that wraps your words in modesty
undoes hidden agendas
scans through layers of paint
roots, faith, effort, survival in Brazilian emblem

More of us know
than care to admit
of the threatening, seeping truth:
You are a whispering, caressing
destroyer of prudence

A throbbing pulse of life
in delicate spiralling shell
so like a rose
whose spreading petals boast
their inevitability

I think I know:
Deus Sive Natura
whence comes
that kindness and beauty
and courage
and wisdom

Now your walking and talking
eating, web surfing
kissing, playing
bus riding, singing
language learning, dressing
cell phoning, praying
are a sprinkle of Christian freedom
to us

We seek through worship
and exercise
virtues that come easy
as if by birthright
to a few