Sweet Eternity

Tomatoes
hang like Chinese lanterns,
but heavy, straining
to spill a different light.

Tomatoes,
my labor of love
and also, don't kid yourself,
of dirt and sweat and
muscles feeling their years,
the exquisite breathy push
of life.

This tomato
I picked this morning, now
sliced and salted beside
mozzarella and basil,
a starburst of olive oil
glinting with distant heat.

A crescendo
of wellness and love.

But wait!
Rush and you'll miss the best part--
this glimpse of eternity in a
thousand earthen seeds, a
glance in the mirror
of all that is possible-
unstoppable!-
now.

The heart
sways like Chinese lanterns,
moved by
the Beloved's touch,
now heavy, straining
to spill a different light.