First.

I came to the Teacher,
cold and empty.
His words gathered in me.
In my ear, my chest,
my eager mind.

I watched
sparrows, unburdened,
lilies, bright without effort.

I opened my hands
to receive the promise.
Still, I was cold. I was empty.

Many ask for a sign,
bread, warmth,
something to trade for belief.
But the Teacher said,
Seek.
First.

What rises in the heart—
wanting,
or kneeling?

There is a righteousness
that does not warm the skin
or fill the belly.
Only this:
what is given
is not taken,
but added.