The Garden
A young child sat in a garden
Kissed by Springtime sun
Engulfed in the warmth of
Sweet smelling Spring flowers
Peaceful,
Serene
Secure
Pets played, Cats strayed
And a red rooster
Trumpeted his authority over all
A young boy played in his garden
Where grass grew tall
And trees stood firm
Beside the rippling waterfall
Strong
Permanent
Secure
Friends played, set in shade
And traded stories by the Summer wall
A young man walked in his garden
With a beautiful girl by his side
They sat on swings and dreamed of things
Their love they could not hide
They walked out from his garden
And talked with all their friends
They laughed
They cried
They lived their dreams
Till one by one they died
An old man sat by his garden
Amid the Winter snow
Alone and scared and lonely
With nowhere left to go
He sat and cried a lonely tear
And wiped it from his face
He cursed the emptiness and cold
Of this his special place
A stranger he had never seen
Was standing by his gate
And silently he opened it
Was this stranger Fate
He raised his hand and beckoned him
The old man went along
He entered through his garden gate
And heard the birds in song
And standing there to meet him
Were all his friends of old
And all the trees and flowers
And sunshine shining gold
A strong man sits in his garden
His happiness complete
For every trial that came his way
He did his best to meet
He didn’t claim to understand
He didn’t need to know
Why all this sadness followed him
Or why his friends must go
He simply tried to lead his life
As well as well he could
And hoped to meet along the way
Some people just as good.
JM 2003
