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MendingHow shall we mend you, sweet Soul?What shall we use, and how is itin the first place you’ve come to be torn?Come sit. Come tell me.We will find a way to mend you.I would offer you so much, sweet Soul:this banana, sliced in rounds of palestyellow atop hot cereal, or these raisinsscattered through it, if you’d rather.Would offer cellos in the background singingmelodies Vivaldi heard and wrotefor us to keep. Would hold out to youeverything colored blue or lavenderor light green. All of this I would offer you,sweet Soul. All of it, or any piece of it,might mend you.I would offer you, sweet Soul,this chair by the window, this sunlighton the floor and the cat asleep in it.I would offer you my silence,my presence, all this love I have,and my sorrow you’ve become torn.How shall we mend you, sweet Soul?With these, I think, gentlywe can begin: we will mend you with a rockingchair, some raisins,a cat, a field of lavender beginningnow to bloom. We will mend you with songsremembered entirely the first timeever they are heard.We will mend you with pieces of your ownsweet self, sweet Soul — with what you’ve taughtfrom the very beginning.By Nancy ShafferArtist - Jessica Boehman.