Turning Over Rocks: RBG

 

If you’ve ever been a gardener—

one of those precious people 

who dig in the dirt, and plant

and nourish seeds and make them

(sometimes by force of will)

grow—

you know what it’s like.

A lot of work, a lot of rocks

to be removed, weeds

to pull, water

to be carried. And sometimes,

it seems like no-one knows

all that you do

for the sake of making

something green, something alive,

something good, something to remember..

She was a gardener.

She dug deep and

shone her light, her wisdom,

in the dark places— 

She turned over rocks

She rooted out weeds,

and willed us, willed the system

to grow and protect,

and nourish and cultivate

the neglected, the ignored,

and give them opportunity.

Good people do that,

often quietly, often by dissenting,

for the sake of making

a world that’s greener, more alive,

a better place, a nobler place.

Remember her.