EARTH / HEART — LULLABY OF THE RIDDLE-GOD
Hush now, child, the sky is thin,
Something old is listening in.
Under moon and under breath,
Sleeps a word that dreams of death.
E-A-R-T-H in cradle clay,
Rocking slow the night away.
Ravens blink and shadows start —
Turn the dirt and find the heart.
Earth to heart, heart to hearth,
Hearth to hunger, mouth to birth.
Round and round the letters creep,
Singing softly while you sleep.
Hush now, child, don’t count the stars,
They are eyes behind the bars.
One-eyed god with a nursery grin
Tucks the thunder underneath your skin.
Earth to heart, heart to flame,
Flame remembers every name.
Name to worm and worm to start —
The riddle feeds upon its heart.
Sleep, little spark, beneath the sky,
Do not ask the reason why.
If the ground begins to sing,
That’s the pulse beneath all things.
Earth is heart and heart is earth,
Every grave rehearses birth.
Close your eyes. The dark is smart.
It knows the way back to your heart.
