The Gardeners

It takes a keen eye and green fingers
to spot potential
in barren land.
To hold dry soil in cupped hands
and know, that
this is a place where things can grow.

It takes those same hands to be bold.
To reach into places they hadn’t before,
expecting to be told, ‘Don’t
get your hopes up.’
To still seek seeds from which beginnings
can bud.

It takes a tireless arm to plant
those seeds.
To scatter them as
widely and freely as dandelions do, when caught
by the breeze.

It takes a steady nerve, to
watch for shoots. To feel things
starting to happen.
To tend that new life and cultivate the blooms
that are taking root.

It takes an open heart to venture down
a new path.
Where a fence is built, not to keep people out,
but to create a home, in a garden,
of which to be proud.