Its Own Inexhaustible Tale

Hamza El Din : Helalise

Hamza El Din: Water Wheel


It has always been
a happy thought to me
that the creek
runs on all night,
new every minute,
whether I wish it
or know it or care,
as a closed book
on a shelf
continues to whisper
to itself
its own inexhaustible tale.
So many things have
been shown so to me
on these banks,
so much light
has illumined me
by reflection here
where the water comes down,
that I can hardly believe
that this grace never flags,
that the pouring
from ever-renewable sources
is endless, impartial,
and free.
--Annie Dillard
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek