Love In A Potato Patch Poem by Janet Nesler

“Land is the most important possession,
when all your earnings are spent
you can live off the land.”
There was wisdom in the way my father spoke,
Slow and determined, the same way he lived life.
As I walked behind the plow
Watching the cool earth open
Yielding shiny new potatoes,
I filled my sack.
To me he was a hero in faded bibs,
With large calloused hands
Strong enough to bend steel
Yet ever so gentle with orphaned
Baby rabbits uncovered by the plow.
I wanted to keep them...
He said, “Only till they learn to eat,
wild things must be free.”
Freedom day came too fast.
He returned with me to the same spot
My hands shook as I opened the cage
Allowing my new found friends
To disappear into the woods.
As he wiped away my tears
I asked, “Do you think they will remember me? ”
“I’m sure they will.”
He smiled knowing I had learned
Tough Love.