Long dog walks in the mornings
The garden in early light
Memories that rise and fall like June fog along the coast
A finch at the feeder, now two
An unknown rustling in the nearby grass
Earth running through fingers as I engage the hopeful art of planting
A circling red-tail casting its shadow on the field
Sending ground squirrels into hiding
Into earth, where I will eventual and final
Join
Yet now I join in this with all my longing
Holding this love like the last note of a song
Feeling life’s skin along the length of my body
Knowing that this is enough
Enough
Is this joy that has finally caught up with me?
Or the gratitude that I have pursued for so long?
God help me, is it wisdom?
(It’s about time!)
Then again, perhaps sentimental men are given the gift
Of belonging, at last, to the family of things as they are
But as I work in the garden,
I find myself humming old tunes.
Oh good Dennis…this is beautiful and made me cry. You are my one and only wordsmith. Thank you for sharing…xxxx
Beautifully written Dennis. I read this and thought of you…
” ‘Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,’ said the wisest of wise men. ‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’ ” (The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, p. 34-35).
I feel your poem shares a similar message about being grateful for the beauty in the world that surrounds us, while never forgetting the treasures that we hold in our lives.
After joining you on a long walk this morning, I let my fingers choose this poem first and I too welled up at your beautiful expression of longing, tending to the soil and skin, waiting for those higher resonances to take hold. I am working enjoying the wait :). So well written Dennis, I am thrilled that this is just the first poem I’ve yet to read again.
Such a pleasure to read your work. I have some catching up to do!
Happy Halloween, twenty sixteen.
With Love,
IWK