O'Keefe, Georgia . Black Cross, New Mexico . 1929

What Goes Up
(Peace-in-the-Valley)

Like boulders lifting peaks capped
in an avalanche-waiting-to-happen,
(frozen in the pose
of afraid-to-move)

I, too, stand under
a freak-of-nature
that's made my son
the king-of-the-hill.

He shakes
the peace-in-the-valley
with his rain(man)stick,
makes it known
that life-isn't-perfect
and all-is-well
only in heaven

where the lion-and-the-lamb
sleep with Goliath,
who once made certain
there was no-rest-for-the-weary,
discovered, though,
the meek-shall-inherit-the-earth.

The peak-of-my-experience
loads his sling-shot
with diamonds-in-the-rough,

slays the blessing-in-disguise.

He comes down from the hill
as the little-boy-blue,

plays Gabriel's Song.

The sheep graze in peace
and the wolf goes home.

©1999 revised 2001 Peggy Putnam Owen



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