Yet comes the day the garden morphs
as stems tilt and blossoms tire
and with a sigh for beauty spent
she takes the past in hand
clears away faded debris
making room for all
that is to come.
Life Persists, blue - With Kind Permission from Todd Blake, the Quaker Pirate
https://quakerpirate.format.com
There is still time
this winter
to cut back
your oak
your hazelnut or willow
before the sap rises
still time to cut to the ground
what has persisted
so long
you presumed
it was permanent.
From old stumps
come new shoots
young sprouts
from aged trunks
but you must tend
them well
erect protection against
those who would
devour them
clear away brambles
that would usurp
the sun's light
given the chance.
What better way to greet the dawn this chilly,
drizzly, breezy morning than to wander,
wrapped in my old blanket,
among the damp salvia and agastache
and asters, blues and purples all,
or to delight in the sunny late black-eyed Susans
and the scarlet of the young blueberries
against the backdrop of slowly-turning autumn
colors of the woods?
How better to welcome the
newness of today
than listening to the rhythm of the rain,
to the early cries of blue jays,
of crows and cardinals and
white-throated sparrows and the
melodies of still-present crickets and katydids,
counting down what is left of the lingering
warm days of the year?
We are on the cusp of the Earth's long rest but,
like a child not yet ready for bed,
she prances and twirls,
showing off her extravagant colors and
throwing down her fruit...
abundance free for the taking,
inviting all who are willing into
her dance of renewal.
