Rosh ha-Carmel

Tending to the vine in the vineyard—

in God’s own vineyard, the vine—

with slow care, husbandry, skill,

in readiness for the day you fear:

the fire, the bullet, the knife and the bomb;

exhaustion of the body, the hollow in

the belly; fear of insanity, of aneurysm,

dementia, the brain; fear of forgetting

your purposes, and the uses of love.

O Lord, you know well that I

want only to do some work

that will be useful to you, some

pleasing occupation, not shrinking

from labor and want, but eager

to take up plowshare, sickle, shovel, rake:
O Lord, let there be such a thing for me.