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.