THE WEIGHING
by Jane Hirshfield
The heart’s reasons
seen clearly,
even the hardest
will carry
its whip-marks and sadness
and must be forgiven.
As the drought-starved
eland forgives
the drought-starved lion
who finally takes her,
enters willingly then
the life she cannot refuse,
and is lion, is fed,
and does not remember the other.
So few grains of happiness
measured against all the dark
and still the scales balance.
The world asks of us
only the strength we have and we give it.
Then it asks more, and we give it.
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So happy to see one of Jane’s poems here! She’s a good friend of mine. Her recent book “Ledger” was launched on March 10th, right as Covid was really gaining momentum. All her work is great but this one is a real gem, speaks so much to our times right now…check it out!