standing in Divine assembly
each tree with its own connections
its own message
its own role
its own journey
through life
so too, we humans
stand in Divine assembly
each of us with our own connections
our own story
our own journey
through life
no matter where we stand
grief will find us
Agamemnon charges us to
tell the story of grief
and Jewish tradition calls out to us to live the story of our grief
it begins with aninut – from death to burial
when we bear no responsibility to G?d outside of grieving
to shiva – seven days of the community coming to us
to shloshim – thirty days of living differently out in the world
and then eleven months of saying Kaddish every day
and always, always, four times a year
together with everyone else
remembering out loud our grief
until we no longer walk this earth
and every single one of these times
standing together
standing in Divine assembly
no matter how joyous an occasion
a pause to remember the dead
allowing grief
acknowledging grief
with words that say nothing of loss but which praise G?d in ancient Aramaic
a reminder
with Agamemnon
of the everpresence of grief
and that our experience is nothing new
yet acknowledging
that on the level of G!d [Elie Weisel]
some experiences of life and grief
perhaps not our own everyperson kind of experiences
but some
forever remain
the most disturbing of mysteries [Elie Weisel]
and for the trees
what does it mean that we are upending life on planet Earth
what does it mean to the Divine assembly where G?d judges
what does it mean to us
what does it mean to the oak and the willow
the bumblebee and the ant
the buffalo and the rose
the rhinoceros
what does it mean to Agamemnon
what does it mean to G?d
does this level of grief
about the injustice of who is suffering most
about families forced to migrate to stay alive
about innocent people disappeared
or thrown into concentration camps
about the loss of so much
so very much that is beloved
about the fear that is stoked
sending otherwise reasonable people
into rabidly defending their little corner of this precious planet
can we possibly honor, hold, and experience
this level of grief
or will it on
the level of human, redwood, bear and daisy
mountain laurel, spider, wasp and fly
clover, mountain brook and pebble
be simply too much to bear
too vast to comprehend
too complicated to express
even as it grows more intense
and remain forever a most disturbing of mysteries
℘℘℘℘
Katy Z. Allen is a poet and a devoted lover of the more‑than‑human world. A retired rabbi of an outdoor congregation, she has also served as a healthcare chaplain, co‑founded a Jewish climate organisation, and works as an eco‑chaplain. She is a member of the LGBTQ community and has been writing in one form or another throughout her life. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Amethyst Review, The Bluebird Word, and Art on the Trails: Number 9, among other venues. Her book, A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text, was published by Strong Voices.
This is wonderful. We humans live in a world that grows and multiplies no matter what our circumstances are. But we humans have a limited time on this planet – from one grief to another. Do we really know how to express gried and thus find healing? We should – then then – grief seem to be so unaccepted in our modern society. Thak you for breaking this barrier – grief is good. Rev Anneli Sinkko MPhil – now 88
Thank you for your comment. Yes, we need to affirm the reality of our grief to each other, to acknowledge it and to share our own feelings of grief. I appreciate that you also are aware of it.