on time

in the beginning, God created

time

so there was evening
and morning
that first day. 

and on another day
with evening and morning

he created the sun and the moon and planets and stars 
to mark days and seasons and years

so we could measure time 
in trips around the sun
and in phases of the moon

and so out in the cosmos 
he put time

but also here in my body
bleeding and starting again
he put time

and also here in my child
who always needs the next shoe size
and wakes up with new teeth
and runs where she used to walk
and climbs after her brother when she used to watch

so time is everywhere, it seems,
tethering us to the earth

and we measure and count and watch it go by
and we waste or spend or invest 

we chafe at the speed it moves
or doesn’t move

as he makes all things beautiful, in their time
and all the while eternity, like a flower, is planted in our hearts.

Dear Self

A prayer for those tending something new