If I Were

If I were a centipede hidden in the leaves
What would I think of the birds and the bees?
What would I think of the giants and trees
The streams of water or a summer's breeze?

If I were a hummingbird hovering in air
What would I care of war and despair?
What would I care of the here or there
Beyond the nectar of a flower and a nesting lair?

If I were a fox on a cunning path
What would I want with the this or that?
What would I want that I couldn’t have
Berries packaged in a plastic bag?

If I were an otter floating the river
Why would I bother to try to differ?
Why would I bother with another endeavor
When I could enjoy the bounty that nature offers?

If I were a whale feeding on brine
What tales would I tell in my passing of time?
What tales would I tell of the creation of life
Of the earth and the sun, of the moon and the tide?

If I were a flower in the morning sun
Would I count the hours until my time is done?
Would I count the showers that have come and gone
Or remember the song that a bird had sung?

If I were a rock on top of a mountain
Might I have thoughts of finding the ocean?
Might I have thoughts of becoming the sand
As I tumble through the valleys becoming a thousand?