Preparation

Everything you need
is here for the picking:
rooted deep within,
rich with color, ripe with meaning.
Don’t make Adam’s mistake.
You, too, are a branch of Jesse’s tree;
you came with everything you need.
Don’t assume the truth is somewhere else,
some higher limb you need to climb.
And don’t assume
the knowledge that you seek
is cradled in someone else's branches.
Prepare the way
by tending your own roots,
and feeding your own soil:
do this,
and your fruit will be eternal.

Response to Logion 85 of the Gospel of Thomas,
from my book, Illuminating the Mystery: Photographic Reflections on the Gospel of Thomas