Well, you've gone along ahead—
We shouldn't be surprised (but we are).
You've always walked ahead of us,
Looking back with kindness, calling
Our company to the good and right way.
Your vision of the world has oriented us
Helped us look, and see, and listen,
Showed us where to plant our feet, and where
We must surrender. It is always both,
You said, the giving and the grounding.
"Life is a miracle." Yours taught us
The beauty of resilience and surrender
Like trees rooted deep in sloping hills, aglow
As embers nestled in their hearth, savvy
As wild creatures nesting near the river.
"We live the given life." You never said
It would be easy. But to abandon profit,
To praise the beauty of our places,
To reject the mindset of machines,
This is a givenness that gives generously.
"Be joyful, despite all the facts." We'll try.
It may be a bit harder now—indeed
For a little while longer now, we'll need
Plenty of reminders;
Thankfully, you've written some down for us.
You knew we'd need a guide, a Virgil for our journey,
An Edgar to take our blindness by the hand;
We all need help as we step into the dark.
With immense kindness, you've been our Dante.
We won't stop following now.
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