Does the universe sit in judgement
or require that we arrive early
to plead a cause?
Yet, midnight, alone at the dock
I stand before the king
who sits on his throne of mercy.
The day of rest ended
the season of prayer begins,
to be spent at a research forest
studying fungi and mistletoe
that slowly drain the life from trees
as numerous as the stars or the sand on the shore.
We and the trees, living organisms
that don’t live forever.
El melech yoshev al kisei rachamim.

***

Does the universe sit in judgement
or require that we arrive early
to plead a cause?
Yet, midnight, alone at the dock
I stand before the king
who sits on his throne of mercy
to ask for an end
to pandemic and fires.
The empty lake and cedars respond
Amen.

Yudel Huberman’s writing combines forest ecology, a love for the outdoors, and an upbringing in the Chabad Hasidic tradition. He is a student in the department of forestry at the University of British Columbia.