Alison Cassidy - ! ! Dirt Under the Fingernails

I'd ignored the garden
while you were mending.
Even thought of moving
somewhere smaller...

Hardly felt the scorch
of summer's heat -
(except during the firestorm)
and Monet's autumn palette
lay unnoticed.

But as winter wrapped the house in mist
and you sat once more
in the driver's seat of your recovery,
I donned my Redbacks* and gloves,
and began on the onion-weed.

What an earthy way to scratch the creative itch!
What a perfect blend of violence and nurturing.
What a singular chance to grunt and strain,
to coax and cajole
again and again.

As time and order grow,
so I become more ruthless,
attacking fatter and fatter branches;
Till the woodpile doubles and trebles in size
and my face is flaming.

Now spring blossoms,
and I walk on new paths,
breathing change into my lungs.
The familiar star of anticipation
twinkles within me.

Today is raining
and yesterday's camellias
are settling happily into their new homes.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.



*A brand of workboots made in Australia.

Alison Cassidy

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dirt-under-the-fingernails/