Napo 22

It's Earth Day! Today's prompt was to write a georgic, or a poem about how to grow a plant that can perhaps be a bit political.
I tried doing that, but I think my poem morphed a bit into something more personal. The personal is political? Hmph. Whatever. Either way, I like this. More promise!

The Care and Keeping of Grapes

To grow a grape vine, you must

Have both patience and hunger

In equal measures. You must believe

There’s something sacred in the sweetness

Of the earth, the way the sun warms

The soil, the way drops sail down

From the clouds, clean and perfect.

You must believe this without proof,

The definition of faith.

It will outlive you, bearing your fruit

For generations to enjoy, the vines

Hardening to wood. A lifetime isn’t enough

To savor everything this grapevine has to offer.

Unless a bulldozer has its way,

Or the oceans swallows everything again,

Or the world explodes in an inferno.

You must consider this as you shovel soil,

Reshape the earth to make way for its coming.

If your faith is greater than your fear,

slip the seed into the waiting loam.

Watch it grow all season long.

Know that everything takes time,

more of course than you’ll ever have.

When the seedling pushes through,

Rejoice, give thanks, a trellis.

It will grow, inch by inch at first,

And you will clap your hands, bathe it

With gentle streams from your hose,

Pull the weeds that threaten to steal

The nourishment you give and give.

If you do this, the vine explodes,

in Fibonacci measures. Leaves reach towards sky,

Tendrils like a toddler’s fingers grasping for the cookies

On the kitchen counter. It will become unruly,

So much green and life in all directions.

You will want to let it be, let beauty

Have her way. But if you want to savor

The real fruits, you must unsheathe

Your shears and do the hardest thing of all.

Tell yourself this thump to the ground

Is nothing like death. Tell yourself it doesn’t hurt

While swallowing the pain inside your throat.

And if you do this right, as seasons pass,

You will catch the laughter of buds,

Fleeting and white. You’ll notice

Honey bees and butterflies stopping by,

Ladybugs and katydids. You’ll notice,

Tiny at first, clusters of green,

Orbs of life that promise the sweetness

Of forgiveness. They will swell up,

Dulcet-breathed and perfect

Until they sag, heavy, towards the earth.

Harvest joy where you can.

It only comes once a season

Before the sugar ants march in,

Devouring with a hunger much like ours.

Understand the leaves will fade to brown.

Understand life works this way,

That what falls to the earth feeds tomorrow.

It’s hard. I know.

Hold onto the victories you can.

Cup them in your hands and know

This grapevine will outlive you,

Continue giving sweetness to the world.

Your blood and sweat will flow

Through those vines forever.

Take this knowledge into yourself

Like a sip of wine at communion

And rejoice, knowing life goes on.

Perhaps this is what was meant

By resurrection.