Morning Prayer by the Old Barn at Maple Tree Meadows

I preserve holy
sanctuary. Here swallows
greet morn. Light and prayer.

We sat in our silent morning meditation
facing the barn of Maple Tree Meadows.
The swallows also lined up, facing us.
When the sun broke the clouds, they suddenly swooped.
Then they slipped back into the barn eves
and were gone.

How lovely are all the places of your dwelling, El Shaddai!

Even the sparrow finds a home in Your presence,
and the swallow finds a place to build a nest for herself,
where she may also lay her young --
on your very altars, El Shaddai!
Blessed are all creatures who dwell in your presence,
always singing your praise.

(from Psalm 84, Swallow's Next: a feminist reading of the Psalms,
by Marchiene Vroon Rienstra)