I Pledge Allegiance

I pledge allegiance

I pledge allegiance to myself
And to the wonder of my birth.
I pledge allegiance to my health
And to cherish my own worth.

I pledge to serve my conscience
No matter where it leads
And to maintain my defense
Against hypocrisy of creeds.

With my hand above my heart
I pledge to serenade my soul
And learn to amplify my part
Just like a singing bowl

In which my truths are held secure
Against allegiances to greed.
I pledge myself to tend
To both the flower and the seed.

And to call all life around me
My equal and my peers
And may the great Earth ground me
For the balance of my years.

— Gary Lindorff

Poet at rest in Ireland