My life is not one thing, but many things: It is a barrel of cilantro and summer savory Spilling over the sides, oaken staves Sprung from the weight of rich soil and Straining against the red-rusted hoops.
It is an old cistern filled in my childhood, as the days Of my life fill future’s hollow with history, in which I plant impossible dreams that somehow flourish Like the tropical tarragon which refuses to yield To winter’s lash, ever renewing itself each spring.
It is a corner of green notched into a patio, From which the mint is forever escaping into The yard, sneaking its peridot toes between The bricks and creeping past the cornerstones Engraved: “Love,” “Kindness,” “Peace,” and “Hope.”
This poem was originally published in 5 Feathers magazine Issue #5, Oct. 17, 2004. It was reprinted in the anthology Companion for the Apprentice Wizard.