Photo: from our garden, with watercolour filter overlay.
What's Going On has the prompt: Write a poem of THREE stanzas only.
Begin the first stanza with the word "Yesterday".
Begin the second stanza with the word "Today".
And begin the third stanza with the word "Tomorrow".
Begin the first stanza with the word "Yesterday".
Begin the second stanza with the word "Today".
And begin the third stanza with the word "Tomorrow".
Times Three
Yesterday is golden,
Viewed through gauze.
It can be perfectly good—
Or irretrievably bad.
Or sometimes a mixture of the two.
Defying change or correction.
It is nuggets of memory,
Sifted from the mud
Of day-to-day life.
Snippets. Snapshots.
Usually wrong.
◊
Today is blunt.
Stuff to do.
Wash. Clean.
Mow the grass.
Empty the bins.
Chop wood.
Water seedlings.
Hang stuff.
Fold stuff.
Cook meals.
The tyranny of now.
◊
Tomorrow is uncertain.
Dreams. Wishes. Aspirations.
These are the seed trays
Of the days to come—
The perennial plants
In the garden of hope.
But it is by no means
A certain harvest:
Weeds. Drought. Pests—
Birds poo on your crop.
Tomorrow’s tomorrow?
Plant again.
◊
Oh what a poetic expression of the human mind's antics. Yes, exactly and if we remember all this, we can live fully in the wood chopping, washing and cleaning. This is a very elegant work - showing us that illusion of time and mind's childish stories and illusion of control. Thank you for it.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how old times turn golden, while the living through them was not gold.........an amazement to me, as that has happened to me. I most love the perennial plants in the garden of hope. Thank heaven for hope! So happy you linked with us, Cosmo.
ReplyDelete"The tyranny of now."....Well, well, well, it's true and applicable to all three time-phases I guess. I too, love to stay "in the garden of hope". Also love your layout resembling the hourglass. Cleverly done! 👍
ReplyDeleteMay we always keep planting those seeds of life - beautifully composed - Jae
ReplyDelete"Defying change or correction.
ReplyDeleteIt is nuggets of memory"
Golden, and yet, in the blunt present we see life not transformed by time. I love how you capture time and hope in the seedlings and in the cycle of life.
Wonderful! I really enjoyed how you characterized yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I smiled about the snapshots of yesterday usually being wrong! I found myself nodding about today being all of the ordinary stuff. And tomorrow - yes, the uncertainty!
ReplyDeleteWe both went "garden" in our response. Great minds, eh? That "Today" stanza really stirred me; it reminded me not to forget the simple joys of enjoying the present, the now, today, even in the midst of the "tyranny" of managing everyday tasks.
ReplyDeleteha - The tyranny of now caught my attention. We are indeed faced with chores and the motions of our life on a daily basis. I always enjoy poems about nature and gardens.
ReplyDeleteBe grateful for the tyranny of now. One day it will be beyond you
ReplyDeleteI know it's hard to believe but you'll miss it....Rall
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