The Great Chain of Being
it stretches beyond
both forest and meadow
past silence and song

It lays out behind you
to show where you’ve been
eternal before you
far into the din

The Great Chain of Being
attaches us all
through links of connection
from Winter through Fall

One looming question
forever remains
does the chain lie unbroken
—past future the same

(The New Room: January, 2024)