For this joy I will pay a price.
\nFor years and countless blessings.
\nBushels of apples,
\ndancing with my sweetheart,
\nwatching my children grow,
\nmy grandsons becoming more beautiful
\nwith time.
\nThe balm of health, of recovery.
\nOf finding the surprise of happiness
\nevery hour, for the taking.
\nAnd then, not in a burst,
\nbut slowly,
\na second sight.<\/p>\n
The earth,
\nthe ruins at the base of cities,
\nthe decay of humus nourishing gardens.
\nThe old pushing the carriages
\nof the young.
\nI see the debris of broken windows,
\ncrumpling walls,
\ncracked mortar,
\nthe cordillera of a great tree\u2019s bark,
\nartifacts accumulating
\nin the grassy wastes of roads,
\naround my house,
\njournals, antiques, souvenirs,
\npictures,
\nwhat nots,
\nwhat for?<\/p>\n
And I looked shyly at the ceiling,
\nlistened to rattling paper,
\nas if a list were being opened,
\na list of things done and neglected,
\nlove, charity,
\nthe commonplace of the miraculous.
\nAnd then,
\nas if a blanket were put around my shoulders,
\nmy life enveloped me,
\nand a question.<\/p>\n
Would it be warm enough in Paradise?
\nWould it be soft and beautifully woven?
\nWould it be clean
\nwith the smell of fresh air and water?
\nWould it be big enough to share with others,
\ncomfort them when your arms are no longer near?
\nAnd then I understand there was no price
\nfor my life.
\nIt\u2019s worth exactly what I believe it\u2019s worth,
\nthe truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For this joy I will pay a price. For years and countless blessings. Bushels of apples, dancing with my sweetheart, watching my children grow, my…<\/p>\n