Glühwürmchen kannst du nicht pflücken

Everything has its time. Ecclesiastes says it, and we know it: We are transient. Should we lament our finitude? Complain that today is just like yesterday and that nothing new happens under the sun? Regret that the glow of fireflies cannot be gathered? Ecclesiastes, the biblical preacher, offers wisdom that poses questions rather than providing answers. He challenges common certainties, encourages deeper thinking, and presents responses that express not only lament but also childlike wonder and gratitude in the present, focusing on the beautiful and delicate. Ruth Näf Bernhard has engaged with the biblical book—embracing both the sighs and the questions, as well as the joy of the moment. Her poems continue the verses. Sentence by sentence, line by line, thought by thought. Lovingly. Carefully. Quietly.