One who speaks from the lips
chatters ...
One who speaks from an empty mind
adds confusion to discord ...
One who speaks from a full mind
feeds the minds of others ...
One who speaks from the heart
wins the confidence of humanity ...
But one who speaks from the soul
heals the heartbreaks of the world
and feeds hungry, starving souls ...
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.