Notes About The Poem
10 June 2026
For the Serenity Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Constance La France
Listen to poem:
Serenity
I stood before the barren ground.
Where thorns and thistles lay dead.
I asked the Earth what it needed
to make my garden follow its way.
First I watched where shadows fell.
Where rivulets of rainwater pooled.
Where heat had cracked the virgin clay.
where restless winds scoured the ground away.
I did not rush to dig up the soil,
nor hasten to sow my box of seeds.
I first studied its wounded state;
its hunger, scars, regrets, and its needs.
For many times before, I had failed.
Rushing headlong into the breach.
Only to run out of finger tips
to plug the dam wall’s spreading leak.
So too, I mapped my inner ground.
Where grief, failure and regret lay there.
Where anger burned, where fear had pooled.
Where drought had cracked my riven heart.
I drew up a Permaculture plan,
designed to integrate on many levels:
trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses;
water, soil, air, shelter and climate.
Then, I cleared the brittle stalks,
the debris, stones, and old rubbish;
covered the soil with fresh compost mulch,
made with kitchen scraps, I once called waste.
At first, everything was very small,
Tiny tube-stock trees and shrubs;
seeds planted in no-dig fiber tubs;
vine shoots trained to climb up my trellises.
The garden grew; I planted new habits,
rows blossomed with mindful daily care.
I climbed up trees and vine-clad fences,
Pausing to gather a meal and say grace.
The work became a softer thing,
not hard-driven to reach a goal.
The garden became self-sustaining.
Earth and gardener both made whole.
So, serenity lies in being self-sustaining.
Not by will forced nor imposed.
But, by living deep within multi-layers
with planning, care, and nurtured culture.
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