thin-ness of shadows,
paleness of winter sky,
now praise the Lord.
Bareness of cherry tree,
seed-seeking silvereye,
spent husks of harakeke
now praise the Lord.
Now in the dropping,
now in the deepening,
now in the loosening,
God’s name be sung.
Now in the leaving,
now in the losing,
now in the ending,
God be our home.
Whirring of tui-wings
chirping of sparrows,
wheeling of seagulls’ flight
now praise the Lord.
Squelching of muddy grass,
yielding of sodden moss,
puddles and dripping blades,
now praise the Lord.
Now in the star-rise,
now in the Little Eyes,
now in the dawn-watch
God’s name be known.
Now in the story-ing,
now in the sky-gazing,
now in the waiata
God’s love be sung.
Coldness of shadow,
lateness of light
swiftness of sunset,
now praise the Lord.
Fierceness of frosty night
hardness of icy earth,
wildness of southerly,
now praise the Lord.
Now in the grounding,
now in the falling,
now in the dying,
God’s Name be known.
In the remembering,
in the relinquishing,
in the returning,
God be our home.
Adrienne Thompson in Tui Motu Interislands