On my deck,
pretty blooms bring me
smiles all day:
bleeding hearts wave in the wind,
a fat bee bumbles in the tulips,
hummers drink from purple petunias.
Pansies smile.
In one pot that last week
looked like it held just dirt,
tiny swiss chard are poking
their valiant heads above the soil
and having a look around:
a celebration
of Becoming.
I tend them carefully,
breathe gratitude on them,
every morning,
along with drinks of water.
They stand tall,
towards the sun,
in response and pleasure.
A gift for a gift.
for Sumana's prompt at Midweek Motif: Gifts
Thank you, Sherry, for this gift, recalling a memory of my dad and I, working on the various flower beds and gardens, around the house. Of the birds and insects that graced the house, throughout the spring to late fall, when the weather turned cold and nasty, as dug out the bulbs and prepped the beds, for the coming winter.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful poem of gratitude to Mother Nature for joys each season brings. I like the detailing of every flower and creature in your lovely garden. It feels more like talking (rather than breathing) to them as you call them by name.
ReplyDeleteI actually do whisper some things to them: "Beautiful!" "Pretty, pretty!" - plants need appreciation too. Smiles.
ReplyDeleteI love your love of your plants. Such a love of life you have - such a gift to us all.
ReplyDeleteNature has the best gifts!
ReplyDeleteO! Such pleasure can be derived from nature's simple gifts! beautiful verses
ReplyDeleteYour own little slice of heaven!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most stunning poems I have ever read, Sherry!❤️ You make me want to take up gardening! A gift for a gift indeed!
ReplyDeleteOh! And I am sure they know it's mutual. Love this entirely! Valiant heads, you breathing on them ... yes.
ReplyDeleteAlmost every poem you write Sherry is filled with such love for the natural world and the way it affects us by its usefulness or beauty. What a gift and example for us.
ReplyDeleteWe're all hummers of your nectar words. I'll fly to your deck some day, surely. A beautiful, beautiful poem. "tiny swiss chard are poking / their valiant heads" What could be more delightful than this?
ReplyDeleteNice. The giving and the receiving in the poem is dynamic. The one exists only because of the other
ReplyDeleteMuch🎁love
"valiant heads above the soil
ReplyDeleteand having a look around:
a celebration
of Becoming.
I tend them carefully,
breathe gratitude on them"....Amazing choice of words to ' breathe gratitude'. I just loved this, Sherry. Yes, plants love interactions..I talk to them too. Smiles.
breathe gratitude on them...love that line...bkm
ReplyDeleteI love, "breathe gratitude on them". I feel that way about my outdoor plants, and herbs. May they continue to do well.
ReplyDeleteGift and giver, giver and gift--sometimes they just meld into one, don't they?
ReplyDelete