A recitation, this liturgy
Of living things, with
Hands deep in the earth.
Their bitterness and sweetness,
Tap roots and green life
Filled with a constant pulse.
Saints’ bones buried
In homage, a rhythm
Of returning—
Hyssop, Delphinium,
Cornflower, Thyme
The oaks all died,
July lighting a lacework
Canopy of naked limbs.
No liturgy, no incantation,
No resurrection for these
Stoic prophets in dusty shoes,
Standing sentinel above
White pine, sassafras,
and last year’s acorns.
Hyssop, Delphinium,
Cornflower, Thyme
Tender leaves on tiny plants,
Confident, waving energetically,
Their strength a mystery,
Sitting in the strange joy of grief
That is memory holding
To the past. What of the oaks—
Old relics to be worried over.
What of the oaks—we thought
They would never die.
Hyssop, Delphinium,
Cornflower, Thyme
Blue towers bending
Over a toddler’s head, one
Who will never remember those trees.
But we are here—
Cornflower twisted with thyme,
A playful crown to adorn
The morning of life, to be saved,
Pressed, and rediscovered
On an unknown day.
Hyssop, Delphinium,
Cornflower, Thyme
It is said flowers
Have their meanings,
As, too, do the oaks.
What do we know
Of the first blooming, or leaf?
Enough for memory to fill
With myriad seeds, reminders
That fruit will bear until here
Is long forgotten.
Hyssop, Delphinium,
Cornflower, Thyme
These oaks, and flowers,
Take their root where once
Foundations stood, where we will be
No more than weakened bone
To feed their roots.
Look here, little one, and old
Alike, the tiny shoots,
The telltale leaves of
A whole new past beginning.
The featured image is courtesy of Sam Keyes and used with his gracious permission for Cultivating.
Susan Mulder finds herself on a journey to find peace with herself and in the world. Writing poetry is a way she challenges herself after laying down her previous career/s to pursue God’s path for her future. With a terminal degree in fine art in painting, she has held several positions in what she calls her ‘old life’. Though Mulder continues to paint and exhibit and is the author of a poetry collection, No Ordinary Time, she finds her deepest expression (and joy) in writing and within the eyes of her grandchildren.
A Field Guide to Cultivating ~ Essentials to Cultivating a Whole Life, Rooted in Christ, and Flourishing in Fellowship
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