9 Elul: Rare and Precious

trees are rare and precious, none seen elsewhere in the known universe
our predecessors slinked out of the water to make new life on land
I shed 10 sextillion atoms with every breath

then they become you

we are all fish, after all
the boundaries between living things, a mirage
how could we forget we were formed from dirt?

how could we forget to steward the land as if she is not an extension of our bodies
as if harm to other life does not poison us all?

think so small
you see we are all made of the same stuff
think so big
you see we are smaller than dust

until all we can do is be in our bodies,
feel the earth beneath our tired feet,
care for her as she does us

until our rivers run clear
and the air smells sweet

Return to the knowledge that
we are all One

Lauren Fine (she/her) lives in Durham, North Carolina and works remotely as the Alumni Manager at Avodah. In her free time, she can be found building radical Jewish community, staring at trees, baking, collaging, and thinking about the universe.