The Gardener Poem by Alicia Patti

Intent on her task, she gazes
at the earth, stooping.
Raking parched leaves, she scoops
them up with gloved hands,
the black plastic bag protesting

against the wind.

See how she removes a glove
and wipes her brow,
the back of her hand riddled with
the sands of time.
See how she turns her weathered
face to the warming sun:

a lover’s kiss.

Wrinkled as the leaves
beneath her feet, she tells the tale
of a life well-lived, wise eyes
blinking against the noon-day sun:

A day of bliss.

And now her eyes scan
the horizon and back again
to her precious garden, pride
in her achievements shining through
like an emerald crown,
lighting up the orchard:

too keen to miss.

Watch as she walks
to the nearby shed,
dragging her heavy black burden
over the pebbled landscape.

The years have served her well:
strong, still willing to carry on...
marching down her golden days...

and more like this.