an act of violence
upon the land
last year's dry stubble
flares, sparks
flames rise
as smoke fills yards
and valleys
deep into the night
licks of fire burn on
an act of violence
upon the land
no harsher
then the ripping away
of heavy equipment
removing old
to prepare for new
cultivation is
an act of violence
upon the land
without which
nothing grows
roots loose their grip
and submit
to the crops to come
sometimes the principles of farming and gardening seem hard to understand but serve as excellent metaphors for life..
ReplyDeleteYour poem resonates for me in a very personal way.... I was thinking about violence as I was pulling stubborn plants out of my garden with deep roots... Even though my intention was to cultivate and nurture other plants that were being encroached upon... my body felt the tension of anger, of violence... I had never thought of gardening that way before.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comparison...I like that...an act of violence, one devastating one productive. Ponder worthy.
ReplyDeleteAnd why is it that weeds have the strongest and toughest roots? I wonder about that every year as I plant my garden.
ReplyDeleteit is an interesting fact...and one too that we can learn from...in what it sometimes takes to get that new growth...
ReplyDeleteIt really is fascinating to contemplate just what grows.....and why. Your metaphors in this poem work for me.
ReplyDeleteCultivation is a necessary evil, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteExcellent use of metaphor here, firefly.
ReplyDeletePamela
Life and its seasons...each taking their turn and being revealed in due time...
ReplyDeleteWhat a different way of looking at cultivation. There's definitely strain with any kind of growth, and sometimes it feels as if it really is violent, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteFor some reason the second stanza put me in mind of strip-mining rather than agriculture or gardening. That really is an act of violence committed on the environment.
ReplyDelete