Tending The Garden Poem by Lonnie Hicks

Grandmother dug into the earth saying
'men, family, children
are like tending to the garden.

First, you have to have good seed
and good dark earth.'

I used to help her tend the garden
on my Sunday visits-a patch in the
back of her house.

'Get a good fertilizer, find the right spot,
location matters in all this,
bad location
the family, the children, the wife, the men
don't do so good.

Plant the good seeds of decency.

Tell the truth, work hard,
don't get mean
and cynical,
love peace,
help your neighbor.
Simple, really.

Then you find what each plant needs.
Some like a lot of light
some like shade,
then afternoon or morning light,

Each is different.

And have to take the time
to find out what works for each.

And you water your damp ground
til that first little leaf comes up,
pokes up its little head
looking at the first light of its life
of its first day.

That feels good.

And then you water it,
let it know it is welcome in this world,
that someone cares.

And you tend to it.

Keep the weeds away,
the ants and the snails,
and big feet trampling
and it grows,
til you have your first bud
that flowers,
and the branches get sturdy,
and supports more and more of the buds,
and then the early flowers,
and then the full blossomings.

Pretty soon you have your garden,
and you teach your kids,
and your grandkids how to keep
it flowering;

like that
generation after generation.

Of course you need the Son,
the Father too
and the Holy Ghost
.