Prayer
by Lion Goodman
There are so many ways to praise God.
Say, "God is Great!" out loud.
Silently thank the Great Spirit for our very existence.
Sing praises to Jesus for salvation.
Bow down before Buddha.
Repeat "Hare Krishna" or "Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo"
a few million times.
Say Grace before eating and prayers before bedtime.
Sculpt effigies of the Goddess in wet clay.
Hammer gold into the shape of a jaguar or snake.
Place paint on a canvas, or upon your own face.
Sing Ave Marie, or kirtans in Sanskrit.
Construct a palace from marble or stone.
Watch a brilliant sunset with a quiet mind.
Study nature, science, history, artŠ
See others as yourself.
Walk barefoot on the earth.
Let rain splash on your upturned face.
Compose music. Climb mountains.
Give birth. Dance.
Write poetry. Read to a child.
Feel lifeforce within you.
Appreciate beauty in all forms.
Create. Act.
Be. All.
Breathe in. And out.
All ways. Always.
Lovely Lavender
by Sara Goodman, age 8
Lavender is a family of sheep flying beautifully
in a peaceful land.
Lavender is like the night
beaming on my black midnight cat.
Lavender is like a flower
blooming in the shining sun of spring.
Lavender is like the pictures of a book
being drawn so real.
Lavender is like the sweet smell
of a cherry being plucked off a bush.
Lavender tastes like summer
coming around the brand new hill of the morning.
Anger
by Ashley Sheridan, age 13
ANGER burning like an everlasting fire
bubbling over and leaking out
Make it stop, make it end
push it away, blow it out
for it burns the skin and is reaching for the soul,
love seems far away
OK, you say,
but deep inside you know otherwise
the hurt, the pain is tucked neatly away in a corner
in the pit of your stomach waiting for that time that you can
scream and let go
Learning from Death
by Tyler Black, age 12
Kizzy was my dog.
She was my dog from the day I was born till the day I was six.
She passed on my sixth birthday.
I felt very sad and lonely, because I did not have my dog.
I changed after that day.
I realized death was a big part of life.
A year later, I got my new dog, Buddy. At first I was sad that I did not have my
old dog but, at the same time, I was happy I had a new dog.
Becoming Wise
by Tom Dunphy
A wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he heard,
The less he spoke.
The less he spoke,
The more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that bird?
