and so we gathered together hand in hand
underneath the peppermint trees
not to dance and sing this time
we gather in grief
the fields had been plowed
and it had rained last night
so much brilliance had been pulled down
into the muddy earth
so much light had been extinguished
pushed down into a place of mystery and promise
of a new day, a new world, a new life
but those of us who gather here
underneath the peppermint trees
can only squeeze each other’s hands
and honor the life that grows within us
ever so larger, bearing fruit
until it feels like we might burst apart
with a sad delight
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