genesis and revelation

step one 
plant a seed 
bury it, life begins in death 
water every day. 
be patient. this takes time. 

step two 
or one and a half, if you don't feel like it 
promise the seed that it is worth it. 
it hurts to grow, bones break 
and realign 
babies scream when they touch the light. 
tell them of the sun, and the rain, and the sky, and the wind, and hope 
that this will be enough when they learn the truth. 

step two-point-beta
or three, if you're sentimental. i hope you are. 
you see green fingers in the ground 
reaching out. 
celebrate. cheer. call up the state and have everyone dance. 
there is a heart beating in the earth 
hallelujah 

step four 
(we're sticking to these numbers now) 
your child is hungry, it is growing so fast 
this isn't enough, is it? 
it's never enough. 
place fences and canopies. try to guard them. 
every parent says they will set their child free. 
every parent is a liar. 

step five 
i think 
oh, they are so big 
you are so small 
when did the sand in the hourglass run out? 
oh, withered thing 
you have made something beautiful. 
they kiss oxygen into your lungs, 
they breathe for you. let them. thank them. 
no, thank you. 

step six 
decay. 
let the moss cover you, let the mushrooms take you, 
let the roots claim you as theirs. 
life begins with death, you watched this happen 
and life takes, how it takes. 
give it to them. you are already dead. 
they will live. 

step seven 
or zero. 
it doesn't matter. 
they are withering 
no, they are blooming 
Persephone is of springtime and winter, she knows the truth. 
weep when your child falls, it's okay 
but look. 
their descendants are already here. 
oh Abraham, progenitor of a thousand, 
your forest is living. 

no more steps. 
take a leap. 
listen to the green congregation sing.