the ten o'clock news

do you know where your children are?

the new fear alert

is it amber or yellow?

and I have to hide in a quiet place

away from the airwaves and angry noise

the trees are all greener, their leaves are all broader

the breezes are sweeter, the faint sound of water

surrounded by death, there's a beacon here

a whisper of worth to my tired ear

 

it tells me "be strong

the night may be long

but you know there's no need to fight

so take up the light and be saved"

at Uncle Sam's grave

I received my benediction and gained back my vision

 

so I shed my skin, became one out of many

the Tennessee hills up to old Allegheny

emboldened by love, all the fates aligned

embracing a truth of the highest kind

 

back in that clearing, a new spark was growing

and without a word, I knew where I was going

where difference dissolves, joy's invited in

I let it enfold me like second skin