goose barley soup

The healing qualities of this meal
exist in the time between planting and harvest
the care and concern for those plants.

I'm reminded of September winds
The ones that winnowed the chaff from the seed

I'm reminded of the last warmth of fall sunshine
as we killed those geese, carefully plucking the down

The world is a better place
as I maintain a sensitivity to time and place
holding my own mortality in the passing life of a goose

The healing qualities of this meal
can be calculated by protein and nutrient
but far more significant is the closeness
this meal has brought me to life.

In very real ways I become the sunshine
captured by barley and the life force of the goose.

The hills covering the potatoes and careful
hoeing around the onions.

All of these actions
A part of
the regular healing
of being alive.