Chaff and Wheat

The chaff is not nothing

— nothing is nothing —

It has a history

It has a future

It follows the dispersing energy

along the edge of wind

It lands against a fence

and gives its final nutrients

back to the ground

Or it ignites

in one last sparking,

its light and heat

a parting gift

before it burns to ash

becoming even more diffuse

The wheat is weighty,

concentrated in,

It holds the seed of life

It holds the focused plan

It is prepared for next year’s season

to drink the draft of life and thrive

And those first blades it sends

in vibrant springing green

to take in sun

to make the next year’s seed

will then at season’s end grow dry,

becoming chaff

So goes the cycle

with nothing wasted

Nothing is nothing —

All that has loved

still has a value here,

still has a place.

©Wendy Mulhern

September 12, 2014