A Thanksgiving Prayer

Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through night and day -
and to her soil: rich, rare, and sweet
in our minds so be it

Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing light-changing leaf
and fine root-hairs; standing still through wind
and rain; their dance is in the flowing spiral grain
in our minds so be it

Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift and the silent
Owl at dawn. Breath of our song
clear spirit breeze
in our minds so be it

Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets,
freedoms, and ways; who share with us their milk;
self-complete, brave, and aware
in our minds so be it

Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers;
holding or releasing; streaming through all
our bodies salty seas
in our minds so be it

Gratitude to the sun: blinding pulsing light through
trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where
bears and snakes sleep - he who wakes us -
in our minds so be it

Gratitude to the Great Sky
who holds billions of stars - and goes yet beyond that -
beyond all powers, and thoughts
and yet is within us -
Grandfather Space
The Mind is his Wife

so be it

~Gary Snyder