Restless within the ark,
shelter divinely provided,
I longed for wider space,
but the waters had not subsided;
the struggle with self went on,
though the rain had stopped, and above
the sun already shone.
The rainbow was still to come.
And then I remembered the dove,
the small bird sent to explore,
released by protecting love.
And the dove, having found no floor
to set her feet on, returned
into the shelter, and waited.
A second time she flew
to reconnoiter before
obedient Noah moved.
Olive leaf had to show
flood gone from the land,
soil ready again
to support, to leaf, to flower,
to nourish, to bring to fruit.
Love knows when to give
the signal; knows when ground
is solid beneath our feet:
knows when we must go forth
and replenish the waiting earth.
