Today’s gardening poem about the rich diversity of a garden, “with plants of a hundred families, in the space between the trees,” is a lovely reminder of life and death, and how we witness it every year through our garden.
Each Spring, we plant seeds of life and hope into the earth. We plant seeds of Springtime flowers and of the ever-changing seasons of life. We plant the seeds of hope in the form of beautiful gardens, just as the salmon plant the seeds of life as they swim upstream. We remember that we share our garden with the creatures of the earth, even pesky spiders and stinging bees. The garden reminds us that we are all connected in the same circle of nature, which features life and death equally.
The garden is a reminder of our connection with one another and is a place where many people are reminded of their spiritual connection with God – featured as a guest star in today’s piece A Chinook Psalm, sent in by Jane LeBrun of Chester, ME which she submitted from The Grateful Table by Brenda Knight.
What I took from this gardening poem is that life goes on, and no matter how hard we try to stay away from it, we cannot escape death. But in death, we come back to the earth and the dozens of gardens we’ve planted in the soil. In life, we are blessed to be part of nature, and the plants and trees remind us of this, as do the cycles of life and death in our gardens. It is part of our nature to be connected to one another, as we all will be, in “the ancient forest of death,” as the author of today’s piece puts it.
Read More Gardening Poems
This gardening poem comes from our archive that spans over 30 years and includes more than 130 magazine issues of GreenPrints. Poem like these that inject the joy of gardening into everyday life lessons always brighten up my day, and I hope it does for you as well. Enjoy!
A Chinook Psalm
By Brenda Knight
The garden is rich with diversity
With plants of a hundred families
In the space between the trees
With all the colors and fragrances
Basil, mint, and lavender,
God keep my remembrance pure,
Raspberry, Apple, Rose,
God fill my heart with love,
Dill, anise, tansy,
Holy winds blow in me.
Rhododendron, zinnia,
May my prayer be beautiful
May my remembrance O God
be an incense to thee
In the sacred grove of eternity
As I smell and remember
The ancient forest of death. ❖
By Brenda Knight, published originally in 2016, in GreenPrints Issue #107. Illustrated by Chelsea Peters
What’s your favorite gardening poem? Leave it in the comments below.
