We whisper to the one setting off,
one foot, then the other,

whether into the labyrinth
that will take them to the center

or into the greater world.
We infuse them with a bit

of the holy that we all carry,
on this walk that at times

offers a spot to rest, a turn
to pause, to remember

or reflect on the greater
journey. We cannot see

very far down the path,
often cannot intuit when

the sharp twists and turns
will come. We can only

nod at those we pass,
aware that we are both

accompanying and
accompanied by those

seen and unseen—like
the trees leafing out

above us, and above them,
the sun-bright sky,

disguised as it is in its
daytime wear. While

underneath all that blue,
this very ground on which

we walk circles slowly
under a forest of stars,

a pink moon rising,
part of a whole universe

we will never see, but
we trust is out there,

blessing our every step.

•••

(With thanks to Rev. Lucy Bunch of the Unitarian Universalist Society
of Sacramento (UUSS) for her mentorship in the world of labyrinths
and her good words that title this poem.)