In the growing, in the harvest,
in the winnowing,
love is the only tool

Life’s circles, and life’s cycles
are respected —
the small rain on the tender herb,
the showers on the grass,
the tares and wheat, side by side
before the harvest,
letting life flow up
from sprout to blade,
from stalk to seed —
All things that are alive
are sheltered, hallowed.

In the time of harvest,
when the seed is finished
and the stalk is done
and the casings have performed
their vital work,
When everything except the seed
grows dry,

Then comes the winnowing
when chaff is blown away,
while all those life-kernels,
protected and aided till they reached fruition,
remain —
Love’s masterwork:
encapsulated power of life
to rise again.

©Wendy Mulhern
July 10, 2014