A Poem Of Praise And Gratitude Poem by RIC BASTASA

i must have forgotten
your face

i must have been lost
in the labyrinths of my
sorrows

i must have focused on the
pain
rather than the pleasures
of you
Earth

how could have i been
so cruel and
so forgetful?

the day when i was born
you nurtured me with
the milk from your
breasts

i was contented in my
beautiful silence

you have provided me
everything

and because it was too easy
to hold and enjoy

perhaps i have
not appreciated them so well

a light that has traveled
a thousand years
lands on my cheeks and
comforts the coldness of
my skin

must i regret then
about my indifference?

O, Earth,
i must now ask this
forgiveness

i have been ungrateful
in the abundance of air
and space and and
colors and scents and
tastes and
sounds


O, blue sea!
green plains!
O, towering mountains!

all these
have given me the
complete meaning of
my existence

O, Earth and Sky and
Sea
you are all with me
in my passing days


O, God, My Creator
and Provider
On this Day of Death
I thank Thee

For Love, and Beauty and
Truth
O, God, I praise Thee....