Tikkun olam?

T i k k u n o l a m ?

How do we repair the world we’ve damaged? resurrect what we lost through negligence? set right the garden we have trampled?

I reach across the table, take your hand in mine to draw from your intelligence a hint how to repair the world we’ve damaged.

You look too upon the world we’ve savaged— such wars, pollution, hate, indifference: How can we right the garden we have trampled?

Nature, despairing, has now the forests ravaged— hot dry winds ignite whole continents. How do we repair the world we’ve damaged?

Since waters too rained down and overflowed, since shores withstood not tide’s incontinence— floods washed away the garden we have trampled.

I look at you and wonder, How’ve we managed— so handily despite our good intents— to flood beyond repair the world we’d damaged, to burn to ash this garden we have trampled?