my religion is stone
my religion reveals itself to me
in sweaty epiphanies
every leaf, every river,
every animal,
your body
I first heard this poem spoken on Jennifer Berezon's 2005 DVD PRAISES F"OR THE WORLD, which I bought after seeing her perform it in 2008 at the Kripalu Institute in Massachusetts, where I was privileged to teach a workshop. Dellinger read as part of an amazing ritual performance in Oakland, California that featured Jennifer Berezon, Drew Delinger, Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, Joanna Macy, and many others, all within the container of Jennifer's exquisite devotional song. At the end, all voices rose to join her in its praise.
Mr. Dellinger's poem, recited at the performance, has haunted me ever since, especially after I wore the DVD out by playing it, and Ms. Berezon's music, over and over again. So here is a link to a UTube video in which he recites it live, and I invite anyone reading this to as well to the music of Jennifer Berezon as well. For my own pleasure, I copy the poem below, and I also have copied the only video I could find on UTube of that extraordinary gathering in Oakland.
hymn to the sacred body of the universelet’s meet
at the confluence
where you flow into me
and one breath
swirls between our lungs
let’s meet
at the confluence
where you flow into me
and one breath
swirls between our lungs
for one instant
to dwell in the presence of the galaxies
for one instant
to live in the truth of the heart
the poet says this entire traveling cosmos is
“the secret One slowly growing a body”
two eagles are mating—
clasping each other’s claws
and turning cartwheels in the sky
grasses are blooming
grandfathers dying
consciousness blinking on and off
all of this is happening at once
all of this, vibrating into existence
out of nothingness
every particle
foaming into existence
transcribing the ineffable
arising and passing away
arising and passing away
23 trillion times per second—
when Buddha saw that,
he smiled
16 million tons of rain are falling every second
on the planet
an ocean
perpetually falling
and every drop
is your body
every motion, every feather, every thought
is your body
time
is your body,
and the infinite
curled inside like
invisible rainbows folded into light
every word of every tongue is love
telling a story to her own ears
let our lives be incense
burning
like a hymn to the sacred
body of the universe
my religion is rain
my religion is stone
my religion reveals itself to me in
sweaty epiphanies
every leaf, every river,
every animal,
your body
every creature trapped in the gears
of corporate nightmares
every species made extinct
was once
your body
10 million people are dreaming
that they’re flying
junipers and violets are blossoming
stars exploding and being born
god
is having
déjà vu
I am one
elaborate
crush
we cry petals
as the void
is singing
you are the dark
that holds the stars
in intimate
distance
that spun the whirling,
whirling,
world
into existence
let’s meet
at the confluence
where you flow into me
and one breath
swirls between our lungs
All artwork and text unless otherwise specified is COPYRIGHT Lauren Raine 2024
