The hickory tree outside the church
came down in the hurricane, and now
lies upon the ground it once showered
with nuts. A child in pigtails stares
at the earth pocked with holes,
and those exposed roots jutting in the air.
A pastor, musing from a distance,
wonders if she knows this was an ending.
The girl bends and carefully selects
one nut, pockets it in her dress.
The pastor realizes this is now
a beginning. Hope springs. Progress
happens. Seeds are planted and
how cool are dresses with pockets?!
