Optimystic Institute

Inspired by late spring

When I was a kid, I rarely interacted directly with nature.

I did catch grasshoppers in ball jars in the tall grasses of an empty lot across the street from my house, and I helped my grandparents find “nightcrawlers” (worms) in their backyard for fishing.  But I hadn’t helped plant a garden until I was in my twenties.

I wrote this poem in the summer of 2003.  Because it’s planting season now (yes, I know it’s practically June, but late spring in Mt. Shasta is very late this year), I was remembering my first experience intentionally working in the soil and thought about having written this years ago.

This poem, however, goes beyond gardening.  It expresses our ability to move beyond what we know, get our hands a bit dirty, and discover parts of ourselves that we never knew could fly.  Enjoy!

I never knew

Field cricket in a mason jar, I’ve lasted decades
the distance between me and nature as thick as

glass, watching spruce hedges soar high, weeping
willows touch the ground.  Sitting on my heels, I plant

seeds for the first time – six inch spaces, half inch deep
pat the dirt lightly to keep my fingernails clean.

Tiny black ants tunnel through and I flinch
as bugs I never knew had wings leap into flight.

4 comments on “Inspired by late spring”

1. Ana Holub on June 2, 2010 at 9:37 am said:

   Lovely. Perhaps by now, you don’t keep your fingernails clean? I got into my garden to plant yesterday. Heaven!
2. Jennifer Mathews on June 2, 2010 at 11:04 am said:

   Thanks, Ana. Well, now I know to wear gloves! Ha ha. I’ve come a long way with dirt, but there’s always room for growth ; )
3. Irv Mandelberg on June 2, 2010 at 12:33 pm said:

   Maybe we never know how Lucky we really are = I had to pick 6 over flowing wheel barrows full of weeds on Saturday = 9 hours of “fun” ha ha
4. Raven Stevens on June 2, 2010 at 3:23 pm said:

   Hey Jen,
   Smiling as I have experienced true JOY in the dirt….mama’s skin you know! Revel in it/her… thanks for sharing!