<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a Reason</span><div dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="p1" style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4"> </font></span></p><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">It’s dead of night</span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">Cinders land, light</span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">And it begins—there.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">Here, late-afternoon,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">In the Kingdom</span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">Of Gross National Happiness<o:p></o:p></font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">I nap, hear, as part <o:p></o:p></font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">Of a dream, Fire.</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4"><br></font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">I’m told that everything <o:p></o:p></font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">Happens for reason.</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">A platitude or truth?</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">And if true, </span>is the reason</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">always good, as is implied?</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">Can a reason never be bad</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">or simply neutral?</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="s1">How can wind be good or bad?</span><o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Or fire or flood, reasonable? <o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">Like ash and cinders, or deep water</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">not wrong, not right,</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="s1"><font size="4">just present, simply here. </font></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">We want to believe<o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">reason comes before, first</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">A Supreme Planner</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">creates chaos and loss,</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">for Its curious, glorious</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">purpose, transforms them into gold:</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">A Rumpelstiltskin god,</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">teaching us to trust It,</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Even when cruel, pitiless or indifferent. </font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">What if that Planner is</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Simply a planter, a benevolent farmer,<o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Sowing seeds of beauty and abundance?<o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">And we, like tornadoes, fires, wars</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">tear out those crops,<o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">destroying, decimating</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">our shared home</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">and the home of others?</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Those dead and dying plants,</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Sown so humbly, left</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">for our harvest, what of them?<o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">The farmer gathers them,</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">piles them up </font><span style="font-size: large;">to compost,</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">create new fertile life.</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">The universe never wastes.</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Every failure then</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">seeded with success.<o:p></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Every possibility</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">for redemption gifted.</font></div><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4">Might that then be the reason?<o:p></o:p></font></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"> </font></p><div style="margin: 0cm;"><font size="4"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Rebecca del Rio</font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>