In the Jubilee year, the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it, namely, the one whose inherited land it was. ~ Leviticus 27:24
I would like to acknowledge that
all of my possessions come from the Earth
and long after I’m gone (and maybe sooner)
they will return to it.
I take pride in having the ability
to exchange currency (another invention
of humans that, even in its physical form
comes from materials taken from the Earth
which, someday, will be dust again)
for objects and pieces of paper that
say I own tracts of land.
I acknowledge the tract of land
I sit on was once caretaken by
another group of humans who
may have done a better job and
who, before them, was just a random
confluence of Big Bang dust.
Or (go ahead and believe the story) all of this
was created by the great dust organizer
in the sky upon whose graces we
get to pretend the things in our wallet
have any meaning at all.
They say possession is nine-tenths
of the law but even that is just something
that is just said as no actual law says that.
Take heed of all of this as you consider
using the word mine, as you worry
about people treading on your lawn
as you consider the physicalities of
what you have achieved.
We are barely a blink in the universe’s eye.
The dust is coming again.
Sooner than you think.
Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Find him online at www.JewishPoetry.net
