WORD & QUESTION 6
I'm leaving the word and question till last this time, or you'll know exactly where this is going. I couldn't believe it when I got the email telling me what they were -- I knew what this poem would be about instantly. The scansion and rhymes took a little longer...When I was first married, I planted a garden
With cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and more.
The plot wasn't large, but the produce was tasty,
Much better than what I could get at the store.
But then we had kids, and a budget apartment
With nowhere for planting except in a pot,
And I thought "Later on, when our income is bigger,
We'll buy a big house, and I'll garden; why not?"
We did buy a house, and a garden was planted,
Much bigger, more varied, and harder to tend.
And with 4, 5, 6 kids, it just wasn't my focus
So we let it go back into grass, in the end.
Years passed, and kids grew -- no new garden was planted.
My intentions were good, but that road leads to....... Well,
All the children are grown, and we've moved to a new house
Which once had a garden -- it's easy to tell.
We've been here for a year, but my indolence tempts me
To internet surf, or crochet, or just read.
I've taken no action: No digging, no weeding,
No searching for trowels or packets of seed.
I'm content in my chair, but I have to admit it;
That patch in the back yard is calling to me.
I'm set in my ways, but I love fresh tomatoes --
Will there be a garden next summer? We'll see.
Word: Indolent (or indolence)
Question: When will your garden grow?
And don't forget to check out the links to the other participants over at Shredded Cheddar.
6 comments:
Oh, I like immensely!
I shall have a bit more to say about it later, but I do like the way you've handled the rhythm, and I like its fluency and good humor.
I've had an unusually active day, and my brain's a bit tired, so I fear that my praise isn't coming out right -- but I do like it a lot!
+JMJ+
This is fantastic! =D I love the way it flows so naturally and sounds so conversational. =)
"When will your garden grow?" was my question, so I'm doubly thrilled at what you've done with it, Ellen.
And I can't be the only one who thinks the poem is autobiographical down to the last detail! ;-)
Oh, I know that indolence well! I like how touch on some universality with:
"Which once had a garden -- it's easy to tell."
New gardens started, old gardens abandoned...
I love how you combine bouncing rhyme with a kind of matter-of-fact narrative.
I love the flow of the poem and the narrative style. Well, I love the narrative as well. Lovely!
Blogger ate my comment; but it was all friendly. Your song reminds me of Michael Flanders --- and even fits nicely with some of the things Swann wrote for them to sing together.
So no more self-deprecating over at my 'blog, ye hear?
Haha, I can't get the image of the garden my grandfather once had out of my head. I know that indolence as well, though gardening never much appealed to me.
Also, I like the poem. It was poetic and yet flowed on without ever a hitch in step, like a foxtrot, jaunty and relaxed.
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