Tuesday, October 23, 2007

...changes

Things happen and
Nothing stays the same.
Life is never ever
the same ole game.
No sense in getting
Cozy in a favorite spot.
For as sure as you do,
Your spot will be moved
Out from under you.

A parent passes
And a child leaves home.
A spouse preoccupies
And your left alone.
A puppy moves in
And the cat runs away.
Fresh paint for the walls
And boxed dye for the gray.

Are you really
All that surprised?
Shouldn’t the garden have
Opened your eyes?
Things in a garden seem
To age with great grace.
Plants never seem
To fret or pace.
The wisdom of the ages
Is displayed in a lawn,
Though we casually ignore it
Or respond with a yawn.

How naturally it seems
The coneflowers know,
When it’s time to dance
In that last burlesque show.
Casting off petals
With hearty aplomb,
They nod spiny heads
In an ageless striptease
And teach us the secret
Of aging with ease

Stunned perhaps
We step aside
Whilst that wildflower
Brittle and dried
Recklessly throws down
Every last ounce of seed
With no thought
Of hoarding or greed.
Till again in the garden
A voice calls with glee,
"Come gardenlady,
Come dance with me!"