Delicate Earth
© Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Love can hurt so much.
But its absence hurts much more.
We know this as
we place earth on our loved one
to say goodbye.
We hold upside-down shovels
as upside-down people
experiencing upside-down Life.
And that first harsh bang
pebbles mixed with sand
hitting wood, hitting….
it’s too much,
that first one.
But with every trembling hand’s painful gift,
infusing earth with emotion,
the sound changes.
I’ve seen it,
felt it,
heard it.
It used to be dirt.
Now it’s delicate earth.
God’s caress.
