We hope our kindness
will be felt by the land,
the trees we plant,
the soil we tend,
we hope it will respond
with life that springs forth bountiful

We hope the land will teach us
the kind of kindness
that makes things grow —
fledgling efforts strengthened,
courage built, endurance lengthened,
everything that had been tentative
standing forth to claim its place
in the blessed rhythm of the day.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 23, 2019