My Garden Poem by Kyle Schlicher

i water
the seconds,
give them
plenty of nourishment.
watch over them
as they grow
slow
into minutes.

then i weed them,
keeping
the parasites
and insects
away
as the sun shines
upon them
and they grow
slow
into hours.

then, i do it all again
watering,
feeding,
weeding
all the while
watching over them
as they grow
slow
into days
soon into weeks,
months
and finally years.

year after year
they grow
slow
as the garden
flourishes in the sun
until at last
the wind blows
cold
and the garden
begins
slowly dying
in the ground
needing more
water
and nourishment
then i am able
to give.

(10-21-1978)