Duty

 

Duty

The maple leaves that turned into flame
are burning down to embers.
Time to bank the fires of the year.

I know you feel the darkness closing in,
but what makes you think that's
your problem to solve? Stop trying
to tie leaves back into branches.

Answer the questions that are yours to ask.
(Who is my neighbor?)
Make the things that are yours to make.
(Split peas or lentils in the soup?)

When the old rabbi talked about
tikkun olam - your duty
to repair the world - he made it clear.

The only way creation is restored
is through inviting the tiniest shards
to find their way back home
to a wholeness we keep trying to imagine.

Lynn Ungar, 11 Dec 23