Qohelet 11
Qohelet 11
In the womb
who knows
how mingled exhalations
solidify and animate
the being there?
It grows, unfurls
from its given code—
a little emptiness left for surprise—
to make bones, to synchronize
its heartbeat with the earth’s breath.
The woman casts
everything she knows
into the, yes, wayward wind,
onto the, yes, deep waters,
and what comes back?
Nothing.
Enough to give away.
Everything.
Everything she knows
is merest exhalation.
She breathes out,
pushes through,
the ways of the heart
into terra incognito,
into surprise.
And then, maybe,
a sudden inhalation
and a wail.
Sweet light.
A moment.
Breath.
While you have the chance,
rejoice.
Sherry Robbins, from Under World, 2020