– originally published as “Garden Seed, Garden Cede,” FreeXpression

I am determined to seed my garden.
Early Spring, lettuce and green leaf
Plants need planting. I’m too young
For the child my wife carries. The last frost
Of bedroom’s winter came too late.

I am tempted to cede my garden.
Early summer, pests munch and kill
The plants I planted. The pest that threatens
My child we call some acronym for
Hope and ignorance: a serpent’s sweet fruit.

—

Childhood and Parenting