senses

For the Senses by John O'Donohue

May the touch of your skin

Register the beauty

Of the otherness

That surrounds you.


May your listening be attuned

To the deeper silence

Where sound is honed

To bring distance home.


May the fragrance

Of a breathing meadow

Refresh your heart

And remind you you are

A child of the earth.


And when you partake

Of food and drink,

May your taste quicken

To the gift and sweetness

That flows from the earth.


May your inner eye

See through the surfaces

And glean the real presence

Of everything that meets you.


May your soul beautify

The desire of your eyes

That you might glimpse

The infinity that hides

In the simple sights

That seem worn

To your usual eyes.