To the unseeable animal

Christian Century, Sept 11, 2002 by Wendell Berry

To the unseeable animal

   Being, whose flesh dissolves
   at our glance, knower
   of the secret sums and measures,
   you are always here,
   dwelling in the oldest sycamores,
   visiting the faithful springs
   when they are dark and the foxes
   have crept to their edges.
   I have come upon pools
   in streams, places overgrown
   with the woods' shadow,
   where I knew you had rested,
   watching the little fish
   hang still in the flow;
   as I approached they seemed
   particles of your clear mind
   disappearing among the rocks.
   I have waked deep in the woods
   in the early morning, sure
   that while I slept
   your gaze passed over me.
   That we do not know you
   is your perfection
   and our hope. The darkness
   keeps us near you.