he has forgotten nearly everything everything he once thought necessary
necessary to remember and remember and remember
remember what is it that needs this thought to remember not this
not any this not what is at hand in the hand
a bird is worth more one bird one hand
clapping in celebration one hand reaching meeting
one hand reaching out and meeting all hands all hands clapping
all hands on deck
and there is no captain speaking there is no captain
all hands on this deck here here&now
and there is no remembering with everyone here
this deck this gathering this celebration all hands clasping
a union and here it is where the meaning of union begins
every time and I don't need to remember for it happens
every time the word union is an onion
sliced and sliced and to cut into it many times it is water
the water comes out from within and it flows
and the water flows out and carries us with it and we flow
together in this union and there are tears and no sadness in this
this is the beginning
a union has begun long ago but it is here
here where we are now here nowhere
nowhere other than here the beginning of politics
the beginning of friendship the beginning of family
they said it long ago and they say it now they say it here&now
one big union and I hear it one big onion
we peel it back and there is no center that we are not of
there is no boss that we are not of
there is no onion or no union that we are not of
there is a moon that is the onion that is the union
how the pull of bodies like to like
moves the tides of change of constant change
which is a pattern as predictable and as wild
as this union we are here for for we are here for this
or we are here for nothing at all
and so the moon takes us as fully as we can take it
as full of life twice blessed
the blue of the sky is the blue of the sea
and there is nothing to separate them
for they are one together with the other
and there is this place
this place where we are gathered in gardened in grown in
where all paths lead and try to trace them out no matter how wild
wild and tangled and seeming to go everywhere and nowhere
now here again and again and if there was a captain on deck
he would shuffle us and shuffle us and we would be thinking
and saying to each other as we shuffle along some path we would
say we would say look at me shuffling along some path this is fun or not
and even if we think we know or knew the combination of any cards
that we were dealt that have our face in the place of king or queen or knave
and we are all the jokers there is no reason to mention that
we make up a pattern a hand that is us and these directions
these directions lead here we are the hand that is played now
we are here together and there is no single winner
we are all the winners no one before the other
no one leads no one follows the leader all
all to win all to the winds all taken shaken all mistaken
all together now allie allie in free allie allie in free
all together now in this union
no memory no remembering nothing but being here
all together no captain no conductor no leader
of the chorus of course on course or off course
just this union being here now here
all together now everyone now all together all in free
all together now in this union
peace and love,
barbara