After moringa, also known as drumstick tree or horseradish tree

For my auntie, my father’s younger sister, with her liver disease

“Let thy food by thy medicine.”

– Hippocrates

Altruism, too, works its principles in the
Body. Food as medicine: moringa leaves
Colored deep as harmony, darkest green.
Drumstick or horseradish tree, source of
Elixir with which I salve brokenness and
Flaws. Grant me living essences, a
Grateful heart, concentrated hope scents.
Heal flesh wounds, spiritual pain,
Infuse the wind with joyful memories,
Juice the silent night with wishes. I
Keep going to the garden, picking, praying:
Let the liver regenerate, its scars erased,
Make the kidneys cleanse and rejuvenate.
Newness be the air the lungs savor,
Order and balance between heart and
Pancreas. I fill the wicker basket with
Quiet assurances, stems lively as light,
Returning inward with my harvest. In
Silence I wash the stalks and pluck:
Thank you, thank you, thank you – like
Unguent for anxieties, like heartbeat.
Verve rises as the blender dissolves,
Water circling, transforming. We drink
Expectancy, visualizing healthier futures:
Years and years of life, nature and nurture,
Zests, wholeness of body, soul and mind