 Crack in the sidewalk. Poking through concrete, despite White alyssum blooms.  |  In tall sea of grass Toy tugboat sits forgotten In wrong element.  Who gets to decide, Is it a plant or a weed? It looks nice; it stays. Large sunflower head Bends down to creatures below, Bestowing its light. |
| Bright yellow lemons Heralds of a new season Spring has finally come. |  |
 | Oak sapling pulled up Discarded at start of life No longer to grow. |
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| Warmed by indoor light The bean plants grow avidly, Soon to go outside. | Plants all in the ground, The garden is ready now. Harvest will arrive. |
| Sowed carrots today Sprinkled seeds into warm soil. Now I sit and wait. Mockingbird on wire Breaks into gay, happy song. Singing Spring is here! | Garden reverie I sit and think of nothing Enjoy the moment. Whine of a chainsaw Cuts sharply into my brain. Breaks my reverie. |
Walk into garden
Find raspberry blossoms chomped.
How did deer get in?
Find raspberry blossoms chomped.
How did deer get in?
| The Garden Once a young woman planted a garden. She purchased seeds and put them in the soil and watched them grow. Soon she learned that the seeds needed water to grow. So every day, she gave them all a bit of water. Some needed more and some less, but all wanted regular watering. The seeds grew into plants then bloomed. The woman enjoyed the colorful display. Eventually, the flowers wilted and the plants died back. The woman pulled them out but she carefully saved seeds from her favorite flowers to plant again the next season.. A few plants did not die back. They bloomed and stayed green through the seasons. Those the woman let be. They would be her forever flowers. The next year, the woman planted the seeds she had saved. Soon she had more of the flowers she had enjoyed the most the last season. And so it went from season to season. There were years when the garden grew well and the woman was happy. She would sit for long hours in her garden, enjoying her plant friends. Other years were not so happy, when a plant would die or the bloom was not as full as before. Then the woman felt lonely but she still tended the flowers that were there. Sometimes the woman would become too busy or distracted and didn’t tend her flowers as well Then some would wilt and die. Other years, a new seed would sprout by itself and the woman would have a new plant friend. If she liked it, she would save the seed to keep for the next season. The woman enjoyed her garden for many years. But one day, she had to move. The woman was sad to leave her garden, where she had spent many a happy hour. But she had no choice. So she took some of her favorite seeds and said good-by to the other plants. She was especially sad to leave the forever flowers behind. Her new place was much smaller and she could not have all the flowers she had before. When she moved into her new home, the woman planted a few of her favorite seeds. In the Spring, she was glad to see them grow and bloom. Her friends were back! The next Autumn, the woman found a bush growing in the corner of the garden, full of beautiful purple blossoms. And the woman knew she had found a new forever plant friend. The woman spent many happy hours in this new garden, tending the flowers she had planted and paying special attention to the new bush. She was rewarded with beautiful flowers not only in the Spring but also in the Autumn. And the woman was content. -MW Springtime has come, Where has it come? In the mountains, in the village, in the fields it's come. Birds are singing, Where do they sing?.... Flowers are blooming, Where do they bloom? (corrections are welcome on the Japanese lyrics and/or the translation. I use the Raffi version.) The Garden Song written and sung by David Mallett. Midi loved singing this with her students. | Píccola says  I love to go out to explore And see what the garden has in store. Dig futilely in a gopher hole Or follow the tunnel of a mole.  Such is Life New leaves sprout and grow, Spent leaves wither and fall. A constant becoming. A constant being. Spent leaves wither and fall, New leaves sprout and grow. Such is life! Splendor and Poignance Magnolia blossoms pink and white, Feast for eager smell and sight, Life in all its brilliant splendor! Magnolia petals limp and blown, Pain for mind, not heart alone, Death in all its poignant presence! Facts of Life Fish that are not hooked Are fish that spawn and swarm. Trees that are not cut Are trees that grow and seed. Game that is not shot Is game that lives and thrives. Such are the facts of life, Such are the facts ignored! -JM |