Let My Soul Sing

dog playing on the beach

I light a candle at dawn and invite

my soul to sing with the angels –

which means that I sit my body down

and repeat a mantra in my head to hush

the buzz of plans, desires, and worries.

The soul knows the secret

riffs and melodies

you forgot when you were born

and delights in her play among them

as a dog racing across the sand

to the scent of the sea delights

endlessly in the game of fetch.

The master-tossed ball

arcs across the sky

in a marriage of mass and motion,

and the dog chases and fetches,

chases and fetches.

So, I release my soul

to play on the beach

and beg the Holy One,

open my ears to hear the verses

You are singing to me.

Open my lips to join the chorus.