Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my people!

We praise —
not because we ought,
but because we must;
as birds whose merry songs
erupt, unbidden, irresistibly,
at the dawn of day;

as salmon splash
in sparkling streams,

as squirrels leap
from tree to tree to tree,

as roadrunners race
along dusty arroyos,

as eagles soar through the air,
as dandelions sprout in gardens,
as cats purr on sunlit sills,
as magpies are drawn to shiny things;

it is within us,
an aspect of our being
that we cannot deny;
we praise You, O glorious Lord,
for we cannot restrain our joy!

Hallelujah!

Amen.