The Fragrance of This Dawn

What do you smell?
What fragrance kisses your nose this dawn?

Grief offers nights with no end, no sleep.
The memory of this early walk is no more.
Has exhaustion given way to sleep?
Are you now sleeping?
Surely, this is a dream.

The weight of your spices is forgotten.
Their aroma made impotent.
Prepared for the stench,
Reason cannot grasp this.
What do you smell?
What fragrance kisses your nose this dawn?

You stand alone at the entrance.
His body is no longer here.
You question your sight.
No cold corpse to touch.
Surely, this is a vision.

With your pulse racing,
you question yourself.
Your eagerness to serve leaves you
not knowing what to do?
What do you smell?
What fragrance kisses your nose this dawn?

You are indeed awake.
Early you came to prepare his body,
his lifeless body,
the body that is not here.
Where is the stench of death?

The other women arrive
before you gather yourself.
Stunned, they too share in this reality.
You hear each gasp.
What do you smell?
What fragrance kisses your nose this dawn?

Tell us Maryam,
What is the fragrance of  resurrection?

The Gardener and the Forgotten Baskets

It was the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. On that morning, as usual, rabbits were scouring for food. Except for a gardener, they were alone in the garden until the women carrying baskets arrived.

Having never seen humans so distraught, the rabbits took a break from their routine. They watched as one of the women approached the Gardener.

Speaking to him, she was suddenly startled. At once, she dropped her basket spilling its contents. Oddly, she seemed not to have noticed the loss.

Mindful of their hunger, the rabbits approached the basket. Yet, they were drawn to continue watching this encounter between the Gardener and the woman. Surprisingly, the woman who had been so distraught seemed to have experienced a new life of awe and joy within her.

"Who is this Gardener?," the rabbits wondered. Obviously, the two humans knew each other. Puzzled, the rabbits recognized the man as the most unique person they had ever seen. He was human, he was spirit. “How so?” they pondered.

When the woman returned to the others, they too dropped their baskets spilling the contents. Not mindful of the baskets, they left the garden praising the Creator.

Soon, the women returned with men. The Gardener was no longer there, but the baskets identified where the women had stood. It was such odd behavior for humans, but no one picked up a single basket. It was as though they were of no use. Instead, the women and the men left the garden together praising the Creator.

Not understanding any of this, the rabbits instinctively knew that they had witnessed something spectacularly glorious. Since that time, on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, rabbits around the world have shared baskets to proclaim the glorious experience of the Gardener.

© 2009 Leslye Colvin