Chesed sh’b Netzach*
Some days, all that matters
is that you sink seeds
into the ground
taking as much care as you can
to loosen the soil, to nourish it

with compost and manure,
to line up your rows
and calculate how deep to hide
the seeds, how far apart
to set them. 

You must love each seed
into its resting place
while the magnolia blossoms
sway prayerfully above you.

You must bend over the fragrant
earth until you realize
we must also plant our dead
with exactly this much care and love.
                                                      5/7/2014
        *Loving Kindness w/in Love’s Enduring Eternity