The Revery— By Sandra Lindow
At breakfast my husband removes
spent blooms from the Persian Violet;
As he gently pinches them off,
dry petals fall on his plate,
pile up among empty muffin papers.
Dropping the last of them, he says,
“Only gardeners go to Heaven.”
The Headline—
Tel Aviv—Israeli Scholars Finally Release
Secret Dead Sea Scroll
The Translation–
And the voice from the burning bush
Spoke again unto Moses saying.
“Inasmuch as you desire Heavenly Reward,
you must work the earth yourself,
you, your children and your children’s children.
You must work the land, feed the soil
and gather the fruits in barns.
Of your abundance, you must feed the poor.
For if you have two bushels
and your neighbor has none,
you must in charity share one.
For the earth is the Lord’s
and the fullness thereof,
and you are the appointed gardener.
Woe to those who forsake this part.
The Commentary—
“God is Green!”
The Word is out and it’s official;
even the Archbishop of Canterbury agrees.
All Souls get ready to put on dem leafy shoes,
for dem golden street are really paved in green.
Oak leaves yoke Heavenly Choir robes;
St. Peter stands at the Gate of Green.
In the mundane world Chicago Gold Coast balconies
sprout profusions of gardenias.
Wall Street goes in for marigolds as well—
Everyone wants a piece of Heaven.
Bill Gates is seen with a rose in his lapel.
At the Vatican a lone painter
observes a moment of emerald silence
before painting a green thumb
on the Sistine Hand of God.
“God is green; God is good,
and we thank him for this food,”
children pray before dinner.
In quiet places one can hear
The breath of earth reincarnate
as it sighs in blessed relief.
Finally, the path to salvation is cleared
So even the simplest grasps.
Abel’s gift understood at last:
Only gardeners go to Heaven.
For in their digging,
planting, pruning and picking,
they touch the great green body of God.