for Sandy
for years
she couldn't venture
into the garden—
there, on the paving stones,
is where she found him
resurrecting
the raised tomato bed
plant by plant,
she sinks her fists deep
into dark compost
Lily,
her gardening dog,
at her side ...
a bounty of earthworms
and a small patch of peace
—Skylark, 3:2, Winter 2015
What a wonderful sequence of loss and healing. Beautiful metaphorical word choices: resurrecting, dark compost, bounty of earthworms, small patch of peace.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow. This is so affecting. I love the movement in this from loss to healing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful sequence - each tanka is exquisite on its own and yet connects wonderfully with the other pieces to create a lovely - truly impactful- synergy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jenny, Jennifer, and Wendy. Glad this is working for you, though unfortunately the story is a true one.
ReplyDelete