Res(is)t: Rest is / Resist
somewhere between neglected and obsessive
between passive and active
you can find rest
nestle in its nest
let your body lay fallow
let your hair grow like tangled weeds
sunshine slumbering
freckles appear like honeybees
precisely scattered among the clover
cheeks like cherry blossoms crinkled in the heat
let the fruits of your labor go unpicked
let the sickly sweet flesh rot and return
to the earth
let yourself be for no one
let yourself be
*
Empathy
empathy is not an exhaustible resource
although it is at times exhausting
we are our only limiting factor
the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break
hate is never a prerequisite for love
the only requirement for love is love
and perhaps a broken heart
the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break
love for one does not negate love for another
we must believe that love is a multiplier
we can give and give and never run out
the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break
empathy is an infinite well
a spring that is freely flowing
if we’re empty we need only check our taps
the heart is never so open
as when it is broken
let it break, let it break
*
Is this Nature Too
commotion in the bushes
a cardinal flees to a nearby tree
other nameless birds take flight
the bushes continue their rattle
a common grackle stands her ground
calling out over and
over and
over
are they cries
of warning
or despair
the frantic shriek of the bird
the continued rustle in the bushes
I cannot see the crisis but imagine
a fox eating her eggs for breakfast
I know this is nature too
it is nature for the fox to kill
it is nature for even a bird to cry for her young
but what of our nature
I can see our crises clearly
live-streamed videos and pictures posted
mass shootings on social media
smiling portraits of missing and dead
simultaneous mourning and celebrating loss of life
grackle and fox at once
is this nature too
I do not think
we are either
grackle or fox
we are neither
I hear the grackle cry
but I do not see the fox gloat
*
Ariel Tovlev (he/they) is a poet, educator, and rabbi. He has a BFA in Poetry from the University of British Columbia and an MFA in Poetry from Chapman University. As a trans/queer religious leader, they are passionate about creating spaces of belonging for those who have been historically excluded from spiritual spaces. He has been published in TQ Review, Vermillion Literary Project, Queer Voices, and various CCAR Press titles. They live with their spouse, four cats, and 30+ houseplants in the Maryland suburbs of DC.