Do no harm

[lnc]

I do not want to bring harm to the world
I am seeding it with joy,
and the joy is made of daughters

I do not want to bring death to the world
but in each life I give it I give it a new death

I do not want to bring pain to the world
I beg forgiveness when I do, is that enough?
.
When I make bread
Up-ending a whole bag of flour into my largest pan
And filling my largest measure with water, milk, and eggs,
I mix it with a wooden spoon, so's not to harm the pan,
And take the flour-bag and the milk carton to be recycled
So's not to harm the planet.
.
I do not want to leave harm unhelped in the world
I bring a bag for litter and bring home what's not my own

I do not want to leave death unmourned in the world
But the weight of all the grief is sometimes too much to bear

I do not want to leave pain unhealed in the world
I can kiss a bruise, blow on a graze, but it's always so much more
.
When I make bread
I dig holes under the flour, for the water to flow in,
And mix it from the bottom up,
Last of all folding the dough over the traces of yeast and sugar on top.
I knead life into my bread
And watch it grow

To knock it back is necessary and disappointing
Flatten the yeast's effort
And fold it through again
So that it can grow back up
Big enough for baking

When all the yeast is baked to death
The bread of life is ready.