by Eileen Kinch
You jagged leafed weed growing free
in the sidewalk cracks, the first growth after winter
You green plant we harvest during Easter week,
vinegar salad, like the gall Jesus tasted
You hide in broad daylight, so common we don’t notice,
white milk crushed stem trodden underfoot
You stubborn one wilting near the grave
the one the gardener tries to uproot
You beauty, you bitter herb
standing guard by that sealed tomb
Eileen Kinch
Eileen Kinch is a writer and editor for the Mosaic communication team. She holds a Master of Divinity degree, with an emphasis in the Ministry of Writing, from Earlham School of Religion. She and her husband, Joel Nofziger, who serves as director of the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, live near Tylersport, PA. They attend Methacton Mennonite Church. Eileen is also a member of Keystone Fellowship Friends Meeting in Lancaster County.