Patricia Monaghan: "Things to Believe In"

trees, in general; oaks, especially;
burr oaks that survive fire, in particular;
and the generosity of apples

seeds, all of them: carrots like dust,
winged maple, doubled beet, peach kernel;
the inevitability of change

frogsong in spring; cattle
lowing on the farm across the hill;
the melodies of sad old songs

comfort of savory soup;
sweet iced fruit; the aroma of yeast;
a friend's voice; hard work

seasons; bedrock; lilacs;
moonshadows under the ash grove;
something breaking through

"Things to Believe In" by Patricia Monaghan. Text as published in Grace of Ancient Land (Voices from the American Land, 2011).

Art credit: "Fog highlights a burst of moonbeams through the leaves of a black ash tree," photograph by Bob King/Duluth News Tribune.