The chaff is not nothing
— nothing is nothing —
It has a history
It has a future
It follows the dispersing energy
along the edge of wind
It lands against a fence
and gives its final nutrients
back to the ground

Or it ignites
in one last sparking,
its light and heat
a parting gift
before it burns to ash
becoming even more diffuse

The wheat is weighty,
concentrated in,
It holds the seed of life
It holds the focused plan
It is prepared for next year’s season
to drink the draft of life and thrive

And those first blades it sends
in vibrant springing green
to take in sun
to make the next year’s seed
will then at season’s end grow dry,
becoming chaff

So goes the cycle
with nothing wasted
Nothing is nothing —
All that has loved
still has a value here,
still has a place.

©Wendy Mulhern
September 12, 2014