It was down on the farm,
24 little girls shinning
in the early summer sun. I stood
over their tiny green bodies
gently showering soft new growth.
A feeling began to swell, of pride,
as I was growing, again, the cure for cancer
in the field of a dear friend.
Holding the hose in one hand,
and the spray wand in the other
so as to not allow dragging
across these ever important bodies,
I look across the field of 87 and consider the varieties
the four of us have chosen
for grow 2015.
The Willamette Valley is warm
and my toes sink into lovingly treated soil,
organically fed, with an eye to long-term
sustainability, as the co-op recognizes
we are part of the land we love.
The slightest tinge of yellow catches my eye
perhaps the little Shishkaberry
needs Epson salts.