Having been discharged from Hell 

Having been discharged from Hell,
the New York dead lie piled inside
refrigerated trucks, awaiting their
transport to Heaven and reunion
with old enemies and friends.

A continent away, the redwood forest
throbs with life, as prehistoric ferns
unfurl, and tiny wildflowers become
droplets of courageous color
in the shade of the big, dark trees.

Look and see how the lovely trillium open
their delicate white petals, arching gently
toward the light, and, as if no one
told them the news, they innocently say:
There is something pure that never dies.

Naomi Steinberg