Ecclesiastes 3
…there is a time for every event under heaven
A time to give birth and a time to die
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted
I can only sow new seeds each spring
never knowing if they will in sweet fullness rise
carrot greens like feathers against my skin
basil sharp with pepper on my fallow tongue
lettuce leaves blooming like layered flowers
roses wild and fickle under late arriving showers
I can only kneel here in the dirt
sowing this kitchen garden with my tears
for all that I have done
and all that I have failed to do
for the shoots that will not grow to the sun
the years that have passed in seasons one by one
knowing we are all of us from the earth
born of man to gather stones for a brief hour
but simple farmers set afield
bending to the rows for a measured span
I can only do as I must
carry water and scatter stones
reap and sow
love and let go
May 9, 2016
