13 Elul: The Muck

Deep down,
the return,
where the Mississippi flows
so close to the sea.
A great, miraculous journey.
A turning.
A deep cleansing breath in the water,
here where there is an abandoned oil rig.
Where journals were kept, money was made and the earth was extracted from.
Where humans lived their lives.
What do we turn to when only the river and the metal structures are left?
Return to the earth on the floor of the water.
A tree project.
Regenerate.
Growth.
Renewal.
Land will catch here.
We rode with gasoline to swim.
There is no perfection in humanity,
yet Elul begs us to consider.
What is your ground beneath the river?

Rabbinic Student Shosh Madick lives in Bulbancha, colonized name New Orleans, in a meaningful Jewish community and with great admiration for the Mississippi river.