Look,

Above, where robins strive endlessly to bring forth life––

their wings only to rest when beaks are full and at the nest

To build, to weave, delicately a cottage made of sticks

To nourish beaks that beg with chirping cries for sustenance

Below, where marigolds struggle against the soil to erupt

triumphant from the dormant underneath

To argue with the sun, beckon the rain for water to drink:

the means of blooming

In the middle, in between the heavens and the earth

where you stand, feet covered in decaying dirt.

Hand yourself the grace offered to those

who ask and shall receive

Don’t you see? All of everything

wrestles unceasingly against death

But life is held out like a promise

Look everywhere, and take it

author: Rosa Gilbert
issue: Toil
15 of 42