Tended with diligent care and toiling
Prayed for against pest attack so severe
Being nurtured by God’s bountiful grace
Our church gardens* are flourishing indeed.
Abundant green and leafy vegetables
Sway healthily exuding their nutrients:
Camote, alugbati, and sili
Likewise, ampalaya, talong, okra.
Herbarium corner shouts vim and vigor
Since herbs serve with supplements’ readiness
There’s aloe vera; here’s serpentina
Sambong on the right; herbabuena, too.
Hedged with bamboos are ornamental plants
Vines and ivies find solace in their nook
Robust bushes, “fortune” and “welcome” reign
As shrubs of pink petiole and red gold peep.
Blest to be refreshed from these garden sites
I then linger near the acasia tree
Savoring oxygen breathed out freely
Thanking the Creator for flora-wealth.
Such is our Botanical Ministry
Offering sweet replenishment from stress
With greeneries’ beauty of wellness strength
Toward invigorating service-bliss.
*Jeremiah 29:5 …Plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
June 11, 2020
4th place, "Garden" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Dear Heart; judged on 6/13/2020.