More Conversations

Pull the ten-year-old weeds
From their dampened core.
That cute old couple, they are sweetly working up a sweat,
Unlock the patterns of the garden
Make fresh vegetables out of a smile.

She wears her thirty-year-old grey flowered gloves
He wears his gardening tattered hat
They’re talking plants and vegetables
The way poets talk Volta.

Don’t use too much water;
you will kill your tomatoes,
wait for the summer rain
before seven p.m. the city gives you a fine.

 All I hear is: Add more imagery
Less prepositions, show don’t tell.

I hide it well!  I say.
Talk talk talk—birds have a story to tell,
A message to share,
Everyone needs fresh bay leaves.

Hold on tight to the oldies
once they are gone
Google can’t answer all your questions!
Plant seeds in May
Water in August
Listen to the tips of the wise—

A Basil flowerpot is essential
throw some in your lentil soup
salads, sauces
Here, take this
I inhale the familiar scent
of my childhood
Fresh herbs are more a part of cooking
than other ingredients.
Trees are wise
hang your clothes outside
let the sun and fresh air dry them
the way you remember

Chit chat—
You’re prettier when you talk earth and weeds.

Still, all you see is poetry.

“Detail – Garden painting (30-35 AD) from Pompeii, House of the Golden Bracelet – Exhibition “Myth and Nature” at Archaeological Museum of Naples, until September 30, 2016″by Carlo Raso is licensed under CC PDM 1.0