Psalm 2

Phillip Brown

Have you heard the whales
singing in the language
of the sea?

Yes, Father.

I have heard their song—
for they do sing, of this
I am certain—
reverent and yearning,
in dulcet arpeggios that
swim swiftly toward
the surface of the waves,
toward light.

Whales—
each listening to the soft pulse
of the earth
as they carry slowly
the tonnage of their bodies
across the sea,
moving like dark clouds
beneath the water.

Perhaps they are like pilgrims
or nomads, journeying
with some private purpose.

They seem to bear a spirit within,
like a passenger on a ship,
like an embryo—
a spirit of stillness and of knowing—

as they follow the echos
of their song, and ascend,
parting the waves to breathe—

one strong inhale

then return to the deep,
humming softly
their new prayer.

Shalom.