To be blessed
said the onion
is to survive the cut
and reward the tears
with savory morsels
in the finished dish.

To be blessed
said the ocean
is to learn to kiss
the sands of the shore
without holding on
to the rocks below.

To be blessed
said death
is to find the open door
the welcoming smile
never too early
never too late.

This draft poem is based on the NaPoWriMo prompt to write a poem inspired by Alicia Ostriker’s The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip and the Dog. Further inspiration came from a line provided by Miz Quickly (“The onion, now that’s something else.”)