Washing the World

with a mournful but driving feel, in Bm, 2/2 time in the dark, in the bitter wind listen to a dream grandmothers stand shoulder to shoulder, on the rim of a hill bend as one, and grasp one thing together ask them, in the dream world, why do they cry? they will show you in reply their shawls of many colours, spread these wings sweep you in, teach you how once a year, in the dark of the year we wash the whole world in a day—for one day, we cry until they're home, until they all are home from one dawn to the next mourning for the broken wailing for regrets love lost, wrong words, wrong actions unbalanced moments and all the cracks between heart and heart, parent and child lover and beloved friend, nation and nation creature, and creature of another kind for what we choose and what we neglect to choose for what we wish we'd known for each hand unclasped tongue unbridled one whisper falling short of hearduntil they're home, until they are all home the bread far from the hunger the apology the confusion the broken road these things we gather in this blanket bone and sand and sage we wash the world, between us hold this blanket, fill it with our tears and when we have cried from one dawn to the next then we will rise, and we will dance until they're home, until they all are home lay your hands upon the truth of beauty's loss heavy, soft as moss, this blanket full of tears and dust and dying becomes ocean cradle, healing, dark the promise, washed clean by our sorrow today crying out, as we're birthing tomorrow not so much redemption as the law of moon and season calls for justice one day, the lawmakers must exit their echoing halls, fall in with the grandmothers dancing carry it cry it clean until they're home, until they are all home until light through their bodies translates to rainbows hung over the land until light through their bodies translates to rainbows strung over this land until light through our bodies translates to rainbows shining over our land until we're home, until we all are home