For Standing Deer on his birthday

Miles Merritt

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1/21/01

The weight of time can make each of us humble

as days grow shorter and years start to crumble

We search for meaning in peculiar places

instead of simply peering into eyes and faces

Each day we ramble on this earth with others

and seldom see mankind as our sisters and brothers

Though among us all lives an indelible connection

if we just aim our hearts in the right direction

So sometimes it takes an extraordinary spirit

to help open our eyes and make us see it

A man who conveys the medicine to teach

what others can only prattle or preach

A man who offers his prayer in song

and invites us all in to join along

A man who paints symbols bright and sublime

yet when it comes to people – is color blind

A man who genuinely at his core believes

we’re more whole when we give rather than receive

A man whose mission is for mankind to meet

in the light and rhythm of a common heartbeat

Standing Deer, you’ve made me understand

that the power to heal lies in welcoming hands

That our souls harbor atoms of Mother Earth and of sky

that there’s more to our lives than meets the eye

The earth, the moon, the sun, and the drum –

in your circle of friends I am proudly one

So, I’ll end this poem now lest I grow too verbose

for praise is best delivered in a measured dose

Thank you for being both brother and friend

and revealing a new path right around the bend

On this, your birthday, I wish you many more years

of singing and dancing – of good health and cheer!

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