“What a Garden Can Teach Us”
adapted from “What the Prairie Teaches Us” by Paul Grunchow
Young garden plants put down deep roots first;
only when these have been established
do the plants invest much energy in growth above ground.
A garden can teach us
that the work that matters doesn’t always show.
Diversity makes the garden resilient.
The garden can teach us to see
our own living arrangements as stingy
and to understand that his miserliness is why
They so frequently fall short of our expectations.
The garden is a community.
It is a dynamic alliance of organisms depending upon each other.
When too few remain, the community loses its vitality and all perish together.
The garden can teach us
that our strength is in our neighbors.
The garden is patient.
The garden can teach us
to save our energies for the opportune moment.
The garden grows richer as it ages.
The garden can teach us
to be competitive without being destructive.
The garden is tolerant.
The garden can teach us
to see the virtue of ideas not our own
and the possibilities that new-comers bring.
The garden turns adversity to advantage.
The garden can teach us
to consider the uses that may be made of our setbacks.
The garden is bountifully utilitarian.
But it is lovely too.
That is what, over all else, the garden can teach us:
there need be no contradiction
between utility and beauty.
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