Verses

Haiku

Dogwoods like snowfall
As the days lengthen once more
Usher in summer

Daffodils hang low
As tulips kiss the daylight
Before roses dawn

When in a garden
The wordless conversation
Invaluable

Nature’s symphony
Sweet and earthy aromas
Dance with hues and tints

Aromatic balm
With every whiff of breeze
Plant herbs if you please

In these containers
I sow possibilities
Of peace and good vibes

In the deck garden
Nature’s sensory array
Where stress, doubt, I slay

 Blue skies and warm breeze
 So happy to meet again
 Mood-altering vibe

Daffodils heads low
Tulips posed for their debut
Spring's canvas afoot

Seed-sowing fatigue
Dig, sprinkle, cover, repeat
Water and then stalk

Butterflies abound
Bright, fluttering, graceful sight
Breathe deep, right as rain

Birdsong on the rise
Spirits on the mend once more
Spring new beginnings

Bumble bee sunning
On the deck rail without fear
Who knew they took breaks

Mowers rumbling
Sharp scent of freshly cut grass
Warm weather toiling

Buzzing above me
Rapture in the vibrant blooms
True garden delight

Gentle breeze, warm sun
Another spring day begun
More new beginnings

Rainy day again
Lush green delights to follow
Familiar scene

Bloom and fruit array
Juicy prizes on display
Gaze, sniff, smile all day

Limericks

There was a family from New York
Who wanted more fresh food on their fork
They sowed a few seeds
No worry of weeds
Just rosemary and thyme with their pork

There was a family out west
Who put their patience to the test
They planted a garden
I beg your pardon?
...There was a family out west

There was once a family next door
Who had no idea what was in store
They planted sunflowers
Before the spring showers
Now they have pollinators galore

I once met a woman named Dot
Who started by saying, "You cannot"
I grew some potatoes
I grew some tomatoes
She said, "I guess you can in a pot!"

There was a woman from Charlotte
Whose yard was often quite sunlit
She feared her brown thumb
Her planter's heart grown numb
Then she read posts in Getting Started

I once met a young man named Rahm
He said, "I must say no to my mom.
I'm HOA bound
To not dig up the ground"
Then try getawaygardens.com

I once met a man who was subdued
He said, "I want to grow my own food.
But here's the hard part
I don't know where to start
getawaygardens.com, Dude!

Right next to my pruner and bucket
Was a strawberry so ripe you could pluck it
I turned away briefly and then
Caught that chipmunk, berry in hand again
All I could do was say "Oh f#@k it!"

I once traveled to many places
Now my container garden is my oasis
I mingle now and again with a friend
But peace, if I don't know where you've been
I'm still dodgin' COVID cases

Sometimes when the birds are all in chirp
I find myself looking for the perp
Is there something maybe I should know?
Just take a breath and let it go
They're just livin life you twerp!

The squirrel in my garden has terrible memory
It digs here, there and everywhere, you see
And ultimately comes up empty-handed
Each day I refill holes, I just can't stand it
I hope you weren't looking for an allegory

End of the First Quarter

by Keisha Moore

 Five in the morning instant replay
 Nature’s melodies
 A reminder that there is much to do

 The rustling of leaves and branches
 The whistles of warming breezes
 Buzzing, humming, fluttering
 All in allegro

 Green burgeoning
 Buds unfurling
 It seems like just overnight

 Creatures are alight
 Scampering, hopping, climbing
 Poised to take flight

 It’s the season of new beginnings
 A welcome theater
 Where you get to replay your most favorite of scenes
 Everything just feels…right

My Getaway Garden

by Jason Moore

The fruit of this year’s harvest
In my Getaway Garden
Makes me feel like a horticultural artist
Plants grown from the sun, sweat, soil, and seeds
The most symbiotic of relationships, all meeting the collective’s need
To live, love, and help grow each into their fullest potential
The circle of birth, life, and death is quite inconsequential
I urge you to just take
This most welcome break
From life’s doldrums and fruitless rat race
Beyond our selfish binary drive, pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain
Indulge more in the former and treat the latter like rain
View grey clouds as harbingers of life and a necessary element
Along with the sun, your effort, and the earth’s sediment
The key to success in your garden (and life) is balance and time
If you actively manage both, the reward is most sublime!

Sanctuary

by Keisha Moore

^{A haiku inspired by the events of April 2020}

The deck and bathroom
My new precious hideaways
Loquacious offspring

_{The above: Shared in response to NPR’s call for social distancing haikus in honor of National Poetry Month 2020}

The following addresses a stress that should be virtually absent with container gardening…

Herbicide

by Jason Moore

They grow relentless in bitter spite
In my garden all day and night
Around the corn and tomatoes
And under the strawberries and potatoes
Some with thorns poke through my gloves
Deeply rooted, tiny insolent shrubs
Outnumbering my crops 10 to 1
Usurping invaluable nutrients, water and sun
Row by row large and small I routinely pluck
Tomorrow even more will appear and it sucks!
The opportunistic and tenacious bastards of unwanted seeds
Perpetual herbicide against formidable foes called weeds

Root and Bloom

You sow a seed
You grow a mind
A fruit upon a vine

It is not labor
To till to sow good
The harvest is sweet
And feeds many long after you

You sow a seed
You reset the canvas
Who knows what this harvest may bring

It may be sudden and fresh
Perhaps for a time
It will be preserved
Maybe it will be aged

But when it is consumed
It feeds the spirit once again

While it may be broken down
Or transformed
To feed new purpose
It is never gone

You sow a seed
You sow possibility
You sow caring
You sow nourishment
You sow life