The Labyrinth: Walking to Nowhere and Everywhere
When I’m feeling the call of the woods
When I’m feeling the call of the wild
When I’m feeling the need for some peace
Cuz I want to escape the i-pods
The blackberries, palms, pagers, and cells
The google, dot com all around us
And I can’t find a hiking partner
And I don’t have a dog to go walk
And I won’t ever hike all alone
I know that I need to go walking
And I know that I need a safe place
I’ll put on my shoes and get going
Why it’s not very far after all
To go find a safe place and escape
There’re plenty of them all around us
It’s my favorite hike to no where
To no where and yet every where
And I cannot get lost if I tried
Why the labyrinth right down the street
Is just waiting to answer my call
It’s a walk just waiting to happen
It’s outside with the leaves and the birds
Surrounded by trees, vines, and flowers
And yet right in the center of town
As old as the ages and then some
And as timeless as sun, wind, and sky
Geometry sacred, unchanging
The mouth shows me where to get started
And the walls keep me right on my path
The center is what I am seeking
So I enter and walk my own pace
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes still
I’m walking, and smiling, and thinking
I’ve found my safe hike that I needed
I have answered my call to find peace
Escape modern life for a moment
When I’m done I’ll go back, continue
With the hustle and bustle of life
But with body and soul both complete
[Written for the church newsletter: October, 2006]