The wishes of my heart

I would crave wealth, not riches as I live:
The wealth of learning with a quiet heart.
An open mind with leisure time to give
To poetry, to music, and to art;
The time for children's laughter, time to learn
The wisdom of the sages of the past;
The time to watch the stars--a candle burn
In sacrificial fire to the last.

I would speak gently though the din be loud,
I would move softly without hurried haste,
I would be inconspicuous in a crowd,
I would conserve the energies we waste;
I would see beauty in each common task,
Each bird, each tree, the clouds that light shines through.
This is my heart's desire--the thing I ask:
To daily grow as God would have me do.

~Grace Noll Crowell