POEM - Because I Cannot Sing

Because I cannot sing from dead places,
Each song I sing is alive –
An endangered species
Released into the wild to multiply
Living brazenly among humans.

Because when I sing I use only the green notes,
The Spruce, the Juniper and the Sycamore
Make plush harmonies with me
Out of what the wind delivers.

Because I sing with a torrential voice
I carve out canyons in every ear.

Because I cannot sing from dead places,
Summer passes over the flat noodles
Of my vocal chords
So that even in drought stricken places things grow:

My voice is rain and air and sun
And sweet fecund soil.