Thursday, May 22, 2008

A Morning Poem




O little pea shoot!
Sweet herald of spring,
Sprig of green sunshine,
Glorious phantom of the garden,

I welcome you into this world!

I squeeze your fat belly
Caress your bulging forehead
Pinch your plump bottom
One, two, three peas!

Bashfully, you flutter your tendrils,
And I pluck you away
From this dusty world;
Into my mouth

You go! Pop!


Can you tell I've been reading Robert Hass's orgasmic nature poetry? His recent book, Time and Materials: Poems 1997-2005, is a beauty both inside and out.

I woke up this morning with a vision of the pea shoots I cultivated last spring in a window box when I had lots more free time than I do now but still thought myself way too busy. I bought this "icebreaker" pea plant as an experiment from Cole Hardware. I probably harvested 4 or 5 pea pods, which I think means I could have tended them better. But they were delicious. This plant originally came from the Sweetwater Nursery in Sebastopol (Sonoma County). I hope to start from seeds one day.

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