not a poem, but maybe a love song to spring, summer and fall. A little long and not edited, but heartfelt.
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness,
is it still winter?"
I see snowbells on the ground
and yellow witch hazel.
It won't be long now!
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness,
I see the skinny purple crocuses!"
Can it be? Spring is coming?
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"
tulips are poking up their heads
and the forsythia is turning yellow.
There is no turning back now!
Spring is here!
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"
over the ground I see the perennials pushing through.
Here they come!
Let the growing season begin!
Show-off rhododendron, dainty lilies of the valley,
luscious roses, fragrant thyme, dill and fennel.
Each morning I look out over my balcony and inspect.
You cannot stop the tide of the growing season once it begins.
Just sit back and be amazed!
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"
On the left here come the lilacs.
The smell is intoxicating!
The peonies are popping!
Oh, oh, the milkweed is coming up
All 200 of them ready to take over the garden,
their only competition is the tansy.
So many tiny milkweed giving no hint
at how big and strong they will soon be!
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"
The bean seeds have sprouted!
My nose is to the ground
inspecting, inspecting.
Spring is the season of hope.
"Oh my goodness! The rabbits have
eaten the new seedlings!"
And the milkweed plant flowers
and it is a little bit of heaven on earth.
Their perfume intoxicates me!
Milkweed, the friend of butterflies and bees.
Sometimes even a hummingbird.
And the pokeweed starts its growth.
Oh, I love the garden!
Here comes summer!
Full force now!
Grape vines climb
but are dwarfed by the hops
they climb and weave, climb and weave some more!
The air is warm and humid and it hugs us in the evening.
Vines spring upward and growth is exponential.
I cannot drink in enough of this plenty and beauty.
This is the stuff of blessing.
Oh my goodness!
Step on the plants in the garden and sniff.
This is heaven!
Queen Anne's Lace rises like her namesake from the ground,
gracing the garden.
Fennel and dill begin to droop as their flowers grow heavy.
Thyme, so modest but so fragrant hides below.
Comfrey, a giant among plants is taking over the herb garden!
And the pokeberry keeps growing, white flowers appearing.
Oh my goodness! I hear the crickets! It is mid summer!
Basil grows and tries to go to seed.
Little tomatoes are stolen by squirrels and then spit out!
Cucumber prickles always give me splinters but it is worth it.
And the beans begin to flower in reds and purples.
Who says there is no excitement in the garden?!!!?
Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness!
Can it be?
Already?
The goldenrod is up.
It's golden tassels can only mean that mid summer has passed.
The days are growing slowly shorter.
Oh no!
Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness!
Nasturtium flowers that taste like peanuty-spicy pepper!
And the pokeberry keeps growing taller and stronger.
Its flowers begin to turn the deepest purple.
And the grapes ripen and are eaten by birds.
And eggplants lie heavy on their branches.
And plants all vie for sun, for rain, for space.
And the yellows of the sunflowers and lazy Susan's
are like thousands of suns.
They say, "Look at me! Look at me!
I am not shy!"
Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness!
The moon waxes and wanes.
Days and nights, days and nights flow.
Some warm and humid,
Others cool.
Time to close the windows?
The garden is full.
The fall asters grow like ghosts between the other plants.
They are shy and don't want to be seen
as they remind us that fall is around the corner.
Sedum flowers turn pink.
The Rose of Sharon hang like jewels.
Hydrangeas, blue and purple grace the streets.
Now is the time to pick, to harvest.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
The days grow shorter.
Leaves are laced with yellow and orange spots.
The smartweed appears in every corner.
The tomatoes try to keep giving.
The pumpkins are sunning themselves
waiting to turn bright orange.
And the pokeberry keeps growing.
Its stems are the purple of kings and
its berries, poison to us, hang like rubies.
Leaves slowly begin dropping.
Colors deepen.
The fall asters show their modest small flowers.
They are the meek messengers of the fall,
but fall must come.
And the garden slowly fades, bit by bit.
Flowers die, leaves fall one by one.
Colors fade, crickets sing less,
the wind blows and you pull your jacket around you
tighter and tighter.
And the bittersweet vine curls.
Its tendrils strangle others.
Its berries, red and yellow, a treat for the birds.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness....
and the growing season ends.
The first frost comes and its icy needles flatten and crush.
The pokeweed's beauty is faded.
The milkweed's seedpods are the beauty remaining through the fall.
Colors fade and plants disappear, but promise to return.
Spring and summer are like the ending of a series that you don't want to end,
but you know that the next season will be coming soon
and you'll be waiting eagerly for the next episode.
******
Thank You for the blessing of plants and trees.
For insects and birds.
For water and sun.
The Beautiful Pokeberry https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/phytolacca_americana.shtml
Queen Anne's Lace. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/queen-annes-lace/queen-annes-lace-plant.htm
