I will make our church

in the sacred bush ground

and in the wide land of

the dreaming mobs who

first felt connected

in this place.

 

And I will make prayers

about this ancient

and eternal space,

with it raging beauty

and animals unique.

 

My prayers will be

for the soul of this land,

half forgotten, yes, but never gone

from the core of who we are

and the dream of what

we can be again.

 

And in our new church,

with those worshippers

who want to practice

this inclusive faith,

we will sing songs and hymns

from the dreaming,

from the struggles now,

and about this sacred ground

that stretches from Arnhem Land

to the little Isle in the south.

 

Then sitting with the elders,

we will listen and we will learn

about mythical times

from inside this great expanse,

and we will see the dances

that emanate from

their bodies and their hearts.

 

And together we will break

food from this consecrated place,

and reverence all that is here

and all that has nobly

sustained these peoples

for generations beyond count.

 

I will make my new church humbly

among the poverty and the despair,

and out of the dust and spirit

of this land we will forge

a treaty of the heart.

 

20/10/2016