“There was once a being, a human, who in form and wisdom surpassed all others, even the Buddha. In this creature’s heart were understandings of how to achieve unshakeable inner peace and make society a garden where every flower flourished in its own way, in balance with one another, steeped in passion and comedy, warm with the full heat of flesh and blood. There was such a person, on this earth, born among us in the usual way, living as we lived, subject to the same laws. But when this great soul was still a youth, before all these gifts of understanding could be made manifest, a troubled time overwhelmed the land, and took many down to be forgotten by time, their treasure uncounted and lost to us.

Who knows how many times this has happened?”

Len Crawford, excerpt from his 1966 collection of essays, Pale Green Heart. Pencil sketch.