Carol A. Hand

***
The old nokomis eagerly anticipates spring
after another long bitterly cold winter
She plans to plant gardens again
even though harvesting is always uncertain
She will prepare the soil
and carefully plant each seed
despite hands, once supple,
now gnarled with age
rough and clumsy from so many years
of hard work, washing, and winter weather
She will wait for the new life
that springs from the soil miraculously
when she isn’t looking
and she will nurture the seedlings
through drought and deluge
until they mature and bear their fruit
***

***
As she reflects about gardens past,
she remembers the anxiety she always feels
from the plant beings at harvest
it’s as if she hears their cries in her heart
when she kneels on the earth before them
“Please be gentle with us, nokomis”
She will remember this year
when she touches their delicate leaves
as lovingly as clumsy hands will allow
giving thanks to them for their beauty
deeply aware that her survival
comes at the cost of other living beings
***

***
She knows someday she too
will once again be part of the earth
that feeds future generations
in this inextricably interconnected
ongoing cycle of universal life
Of course she knows
this may just be fanciful thinking
She doesn’t know where she was,
or even if she was,
before she arrived on earth
in a much smaller younger physical body
She doesn’t know where her spirit will go
when she is finally released
from a stiffening, sometimes painful
aging frame
but still, it’s comforting to believe
something of her will remain
nourishing new life
and maybe even traveling
to distant constellations
carrying the essence of the plant relations
that fed her while she was here
***
Well said Carol! There was a time when we were not and will be a time when we are not again and will then fulfill the legacy given us in becoming the humus from which our humanity has grown. Meanwhile we gratefully caress the sources that make us. But poetry says it so much better than mere prose.
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments, Ron, and for sharing your profound insights. ❤
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Perfect, Carol. You name it all.
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Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Michael. ❤
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Beautiful and thoughtful, poignant reflections. Thank you, Carol.
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful, lovely comments, Carrie. ❤
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Just beautiful, nokomis…
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Bette. ❤
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Lovely
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Thank you so much, Kelly. ❤
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I would love to join you in traveling to distant constellations 🙂
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Ah, Rosaliene, that would be a joy and honor. Thank you for your lovely comments. ❤
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Oh, what a beauty, dear Carol! True gems of words! 🙂
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Dear Maria, Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments. ❤
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Happy Easter & Happy Spring, dear Carol! I hope it has already begun for you! Greetings to Quennie!
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You speak beauty! ❤
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Thank you so much for your kindness, dear Trace. ❤
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Thanks for this wonderful emergence of life.
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Thank you so much for your kind and lovely comments, Don. Sending my best wishes to you. ❤
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Perfect…..
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Marly ❤
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😊
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Oh, thank GOD winter is over and spring is finally here. It seems like eons since it was warm last. Today here in Central PA it was wonderfully warm! Misty, but wonderful. :0)
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Thank you so much for sharing your spring observations, P.J. 🙂
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You are most welcome, Carol.😘
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The poem embodies relationships, so lovely to read, and really enjoyed the Ojibwe translation you gave access to – thank you – I learned something.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Paul. ❤
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What a beautiful poem, nokomis ❤
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Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Helen. ❤
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This brings such peace and hope to my spirit. Thank you! ❤
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Thank you, Lisa. I’m deeply grateful for your kindness. ❤
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A lovely meditation on the circle of life.
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Dear Bernadette, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. ❤
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Thank you so much for your kindness, Superduque. ❤
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Thanks you for being as you are and write as you do…
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Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Superduque. ❤
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From your heart, you speak,
To my heart, I’m listening
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Thank you so much for such thoughtful, lovely comments, dear Eddie. ❤
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