LISTENING TO BAMBOO

Nature graces us with a myriad of sounds…

as we walk around us they swirl

countless sounds when we stop to listen…

that add beauty to our world.

We’ve heard thousands of sounds on our walks

but today as a gentle morning breeze blew

before we knew it there we were

listening to bamboo.

It may sound a little too emotional…perhaps a bit profound

but when you listen to bamboo…there is a message in the sound.

Listen as the leaves are giggling

perhaps what they’re trying to say

Is we should spend more time laughing…

smiling or at play.

Hear the bamboo sway in the wind

for there can be no mistake

they are showing us how to be strong

how to bend but not to break.

When you listen for a while

you cannot help but see

how there is wisdom in their emptiness

and beauty in their simplicity.

I will never tire of the sounds 

of birds singing as they soar,

of the leaves rustling under our feet

or waves crashing on the shore…

of the humming of the bees

of the nightingale’s cry

of rain falling on our roof

or thunder in the sky.

But every now and I like to stop…

take a moment 

maybe two

when a gentle breeze is blowing…

and listen to bamboo.