Spoke the Prophet in Brazil

The prophet stood,
Watching the water,
Bubbling from the ground,
High in the hills.
Hills from which he saw
Beautiful horizons
On many days.

He stood
At the source of a river,
With no one to hear him.
He knew the river
Would eventually
Flow into the sea,
Regardless of what he did.

At the source not much grew.
He began the long walk down.
As he walked along the edge
Of the stream,
He watched it swell,
As he walked along the edge
It became a river.

Soon the water fed vibrant nature,
Soon he saw a few people gardening,
Soon he saw crops flourishing,
Soon he saw people farming,
Soon he saw people fishing,
Soon he saw cities growing,
Soon he met a crowd.

He wondered why he knew the source,
The source of things to come,
The source found up the mountain,
The source from which all life flowed.
He knew the prophesy
Would flow into reality,
Regardless of what he did.

So what was the question?
The river in time
Would do its thing.
The only question
Was what to do
With the precious water?
What life to feed?

He told the people,
I know you are accustomed
To your river,
But it is important to decide now
What life the water needs to irrigate,
Because when it reaches the sea
All will be salt
And you will not be able to drink it.

In many places far away,
Men are pouring salt
In the wounds: of the land,
Of men, women and children,
Who revolting at the pain and the taste,
Either are forced to cross the salted sea,
Or will rise in rebellion.

I remind you here
The water still flows from the source,
Mixing with the vibrant land,
The people singing, dancing
Celebrating, healing,
Not perfect by any means
But not salting the earth.

Still able to welcome,
Still able to grow,
Still able to share,
Still able to prosper,
Still able to be family,
Still able to taste Eden.
Still, and dancing,

Sang the prophet in Brazil.

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_{Written in Belo Horizonte in August 2025
Thanks to Mariana Jorge for inspiration}

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_{Back to the Garden, A Prophecy | 1. The Peacock in the Garden | 2. The Garden in Brazil | 3. Are You The Gardener? | 4. Spoke the Prophet in Brazil}