I want a garden
Like the one my mother planted
Cherry tomatoes, yellow squash,
She even tried a watermelon one year

I cannot remember what happened
To that garden when she was gone
It stayed where it was, I’m sure
For a time
Until a new family moved in

Part of me hopes the plants
Never stopped growing
The leaves on her tomato plant
Taking up the whole yard
Providing endless nourishment
For the new inhabitants

More of me hopes they
Ripped up the roots
Planted new grass,
Maybe put down sand
Added a swing set

My mother would have loved to know
That her garden was kept beautiful
But I was never as selfless as my mother
My heart cringes at unknown hands
Picking at the beauty she created
Keeping a part of her that I had to lose

I am not a gardener
My tomatoes will expire long before me
But I will still tend them
In the hope that she will see
I tried to make my garden
As beautiful as hers