Grove of Trees (Reprise)

You said that all of this was yours;
through Your spoken word, the water came;
at your request, land arose.

You called up trees and bees and
beasts of all size. All this, where I sit and ponder,
is proof that Your words create life and wonder.

Everywhere, I see Your hand. Man
might be Your grandest work, but there is
so much more in the seas, in the air, in the dirt.

Who am I to question whether the caterpillar
crawling on my shoe, or the mosquito,
or the cockroach, should be part of your plan?

Bugs bite, I itch, and I question
the need for such bother. But to You
the author and finisher, goes all honor.

My father told me
all is proper for the food chain—
every creature, every organism.

I sit under this canopy of countless leaves
and realize that You, God, designed this world
from the very smallest of cells to this grove of trees.

© 2022 Steven Barto