A LESSON IN BOTANY

by Joseph Farrugia

In full bloom my

Garden has stayed stagnant

For years

Roses bright red, with an

Occasional stabbing thorn.

Beautiful nonetheless, Sunflowers

Standing tall, sheltering among

My black-eyed susans, whom are

Unwavering

A harsh winter is coming,

And all of what will be left is seeds

Of plants I’ve nurtured for years

Who don’t know they’ve nurtured me

Just the same

A harsh winter is coming

in which all that will be left is seeds

Seeds they have given me

To plant a new lush garden where I decide

I fear future gardens will never be as lush, as bright, as comforting.

New flowers will grow, but their roots will be shorter, their leaves

unacquainted to my history

Will I be able to love this garden

Just the same?

Will this garden show me the same

Grace as those before them?

I pray their seeds will bear a plush garden,

Plush enough to fill the plot

Left by the loving flowers 

I had known before.