Witnessed

wherever i go 

i shall

sew seeds of simplicity
plant bulbs of beauty
pot hale and hearty herbs
dot fruit trees in the tiniest
or most generous of plots
scatter seeds along the verge

and be faithful

it matters not
that the yarrow takes over a bed
and then departs for a year
or that St. John’s wort leaves
without a word and never returns
while violet is slow
to show her pretty little face
teaching me to keep the time 
by her dance with sunshine
each has a message
and together over the years
they tell a story
of them and me together
not because i invited and planted 
and they volunteered and thrived
but because the witnessed
is changed by the witnessing

and if an unruly space
and rebellious plants
trouble your heart 
i will come to visit you
and when we have
laughed and sung
until we are full
i will return home

greeted by
the soft mats of moss
threshold of dreams
the waving stand of nettles
masters of social distancing
and deep nourishment
and the chorus of fruiting trees
heralds of spring
with tiny budding trumpets
or lush with life—
theirs and another’s
in summer
signal and celebrant
of the fall of autumn
showing me how to meet
the vulnerability of winter
the unknown
and all that delays and changes 
my best laid plans
for life and gardens

—inger brown, ©2020