Gardening With Grandma Poem by Cynthia Kurtz

A girl of twelve inquired one day
Among the garden and the hay
She spoke with ushered, reverent words
To understand *love* just through verse

What is *love* like? How does it show?
Her grandmother would surely know
And in response, amid the soil
Gentle hands paused their toil

A soft gaze fell upon the child
A warm smile, utmost kind
Wisdom, faith, weathered with time
Beamed from her eyes with shine

In part it's logic of the mind
A sort of 'math' to do
Subtracting want from what is learned
Or adding want from truth

Choose carefully the starting point
From which you'll let begin
And then care and give to them
Until the very end

Some others will just pass on by
A friend, lover, but not *the* guy
Care & laugh & learn & play
But save your best for one to stay

Add in the content of the heart
Let free will reign from the start
In pain, be bold and truly give
To love is how we fully live

They won't appear in certain shape
Or may not from a common place
Or have the interests that you hold
They'll be loved just for their soul

Your soul will recognize this soul
The heart, the mind, the simple whole
And every moment up till then
Will guide you towards knowing *him*

There is no price tag for a heart
A bully yields ends from the start
When love blesses all paths 'in sum'
You'll know the distinction of 'the one'

The girl felt awe begin that day
For those words and their display
She took the answers grandma taught
With fulfillment that was sought


Note: written at age 14 as class project. Perceptions evolve, but the legacies of the roots still seem worthy to share.