Community Garden
by Laure-Anne Bosslaar

I watch the man bend over his patch, a fat gunny sack at his feet. He combs the earth

with his fingers, picks up pebbles around tiny heads of sorrel. Clouds bruise in, clog the sky,

the first fat drops pock-mark the dust. The man wipes his hands on his chest,

opens the sack, pulls out top halves of broken bottles, and plants them, firmly,

over each head of sorrel — tilting the necks toward the rain. His back is drenched, so am I,

his careful gestures clench my throat, wrench a hunger out of me I don't understand,

can't turn away from. The last plant sheltered, the man straightens his back,

swings the sack over his shouler, looks at the sky, then at me and — as if to end

a conversation — says: I know they'd survive without the bottles, I know. He leaves the garden,

plods downhill, blurs away. I hear myself say it to no one: I never had a father.

CONTACT BERKANA

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Address

Berkana
214 E Harris Street
Cadillac, Michigan 49601

Telephone: 231-775-3414
Email address: berkana214@gmail.com

Office Hours

Please call before dropping by as practitioners come and go. On Thursdays from 10am-12pm you will always find someone at Berkana. You are welcome to leave a telephone or email message anytime. We retrieve messages on a regular basis and will respond to you quickly, typically within 24 hours.

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Berkana is always interested in helping practitioners who are dedicated to holistic healing. Please contact us if you are interested in teaching a class or practicing at Berkana.

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