The Elusive Gardener Poem by Ruta Mohapatra

I went in search of the gardener
Who toils day and night
Loosening the soil, watering the plants
To make the buds bloom bright

He was nowhere in sight

I went in search of the gardener
Who sprinkles manure and seeds
Picks out each yellowed leaf and twig
Carefully pulls out the weeds

He was nowhere in sight

At last I spotted the turbaned man
Sitting quietly in his hut
At the end of the garden path
Nursing his tired limbs

He looked like a wood spirit

I paid my compliments and left
As the joy leapt to his eyes
He thanked me from the core of his heart
And disappeared from my sight

He looked like a wood spirit