Perfectly Designed

In the southern hemisphere, there are men who beat their bare chests
and cry through protruded eyes for the sake of calling upon something
they cannot see.

Near the Arctic Ocean, women bathe in flower petals
and bind birch branches to their wrists
to appease the gods of the ground

Mere miles from my home, the People
of the land dance inside a fire
and ask for guidance from the One who ignited it

It is not weakness to press one's hands together
I have myself done so to many names
Why must we profess such faith without answer
Why must we suffer without reason, ache without relief
and let our loved ones pass through us into a realm we cannot reach

I have no such answer
But I know that in the melody of your voice
the color of your eyes
the forming of your fingertips
there is a presence perfectly designed
You are perfectly designed

Let your life be a ritual
The trees are in love with you
How they want to follow you so they wave as you pass by
The rain wishes to dance with you
Dare to be kissed by it
When you speak to yourself in tongues
of sulfur and ash,
Singing your spirit to frayed edges,
Breaking your body down piece by piece
Reach out for your own hand, interlacing as one would to a beloved's
and find yourself holding the holiest creation