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You know how the farmer

drops corn seeds into the dirt

covers them with clods

and waits

with an eye to the sun

and a prayer to the clouds

and then hopes

and watches

for green shoots to tell him

that planting was not in vain,

to remind him that rain will sprout life

from shriveled kernels. At last

a faint green mist covers the field.

The neighbor driving by breathes deeper

and picks up the chalk again

to continue the next math lesson.