The Psalm of New Mexico
Behold the mountains of the Lord,
Gaze upon the majesty of His hills;
Look down at the verdant river valley,
See the dwelling place of our greenery.
View the Jornada and its sere sands,
The eye hears a symphony of tan and brown.
Tread quietly amid the Mesilla pecans,
Walk softly in their cathedral of shade.
This is the land the Lord has given us,
The varied earth He has bestowed on us.
This is the land He gave us to care for,
The earth for us to nurture.
by Jim Macey, Los Lunas, NM
A psalm is a special form of poetry, rarely found outside of the religious setting, and its rhythms are due to calculated repititions of the poetic thought. It's a difficult format to work with for the poet, forcing you to think and rethink your utterances. I find the psalm lending itself to nature poetry by bringing the cadences of the worship service to the mundane viewing of a landscape.
For further reading: Really good poetry can be found in any work by Billy Collins, our former Poet Laureate.
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