For Billie

My little Jewish grandmother says this:
You cannot unearth a seed,
to make sure it is growing.

We are not related by blood.
She says, You cannot pull apart
the petals of a rose,
and say it's blooming.

She's saying, I love you.
She is saying to me, I am old and know
what it is to blossom.
I can see what you cannot.
She is saying trust me.

She says, These are ripe times.
We are related by underground wellsprings.