god coming down to see us was news to everyone. why now? i wasn’t sure, but still the day arrived and the heavens parted and without objection she came

the sun: 

when she came she found him hot and wild, entirely listless to her arrival

she stopped and saw that this was good, so she stayed awhile

and when she rose, for a moment, her eyes shone just as bright as his

the moon:

when she came she found her cool and calm, gently changing her shape, slender now full

she stopped and saw that this was good, so she stayed awhile

and when she rose the tides paused

momentarily unsure of where to go

the earth:

when she came she found the earth beautiful and green, passionate and restless

she stopped and smiled for this was good, so she came down to stay

and only when her lips had tasted the river, and her breast knew the mountain air, and her feet were cleaned by sandy shores and dirtied again by the forest floors, was she satisfied enough to sleep that night

the animals:

she rose the next morning and walking between the trees she came across a doe— spotted and elegant and in that way like her

she quitely watched the doe admiring its gentleness, when without warning or hesitation a wolf darted across the ground. low and quick the wolf came, greeting the doe with a snarl. from where she stood she could only briefly watch as the two ran off together deeper into the woods and beyond her eyes

she saw all this and knew it was good

:

god stayed in the forest for many days, and i watched her as she greeted all the life here. every stone and insect was admired in all its glory. i so desperately wanted to run out and join her, but there lived in me some ancestral fear. so for many days i simply watched as she enjoyed the beauty of the woods, and woods enjoyed her’s

after many weeks her presence in the forest became natural, i no longer felt the need to quitely follow her about watching her every move. i slowly began to go about my own business again. then, on a day i had yet to see her, i was walking along a narrow path and came across two sets of bones. i stopped and looked and saw that it was a wolf and a doe, late in their decay. 

the bodies lay intertwined one embracing the other, sewn together with dry grass. 

i continued looking at the two and could see that the doe had fallen to the wolf, the gashes on her bones clearly made by gnawing teeth. as for the wolf i was unsure, but perhaps an unlucky encounter with a rattle; there were a few that lived here. 

i was chasing these thoughts when a sharp and unexpected sadness came over me. i watched the bones silently with teary eyes, feeling something i could not name. picking up my head i looked around for some wildflowers, and gathered a few dozen them. i came back sitting on my knees to place the bouquet, and with a quick prayer i headed back home