The Last Leaves - Omer Day 18

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Autumn...

leaves turning, 
woods aglow with color...

leaves falling,
covering the ground,
branches bare for the winter...

a familiar sight,

a quantity known.

But now, in spring, 

I find leaves,

freshly fallen,

in my yard.

I know their source,

the sapling beeches,

holding their leaves through the winter...

but come spring, 

fall they must,

for only thus can new growth begin.


Today is Day 18, which is two weeks and four days of the Omer.
Today is Day 18, which is two weeks and four days of the journey from bondage to revelation.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is a co-convener and coordinator of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network.