So Is the Land by Gregory Opstad

I.             What She Said

She told me the land was holy.
And it was.
The land was holy from the beginning.

II.            How It Is

These words are true: The land is holy.
The red earth borne of iron oxide is holy.
The blue water cascading from the mountains, rushing through the canyons is holy.
The nuts of the piñon that feed her people are holy.
The pollen rising from the juniper in its grey cloud is holy.
The coyote chasing the rabbit is holy. The rabbit is holy.
The rock with wings, Tsé Bit’a’í, is holy.
Taos is holy.
Picuris is holy.
San Juan is holy.
Santa Clara is holy.
San Ildefonso is holy.
Ohkay Owingeh is holy.
Nambé is holy.
Pojoaque is holy.
Tesuque is holy.
Cochiti is holy.
Jemez is holy.
Santo Domingo is holy.
Zia is holy.
Laguna is holy.
And Isleta is holy.
And Haak’u.
And Tsoodzil, Turquoise Mountain.

III.           Because It Is True

The wind, the sky, the deer, the canyons, the elk, the rivers, the cactus, the lizards, the snakes, the rain, the heat, the cold, the drought, the floods, the mountains, the mesas, the valleys, the bear, the trees, Atalaya, Mesa Verde, Puye Cliff, Black Mesa, Ba Whyea, Bandelier, Tsankawi, all.