The last two months have been consumed with meeting a deadline on a manuscript for Arcadia Publishing. More of that as we move along. For now, now that we’ve had a taste of what spring will bring to us this year, I offer a poem to you, inspired by the late and great Joseph W. Dawley. The photo is taken from a note card. Dawley’s work just sings to me. Please enjoy.
Sitting in the Garden
(inspired by the painting “Garden Chat” by Joseph Dawley)
Sitting in the garden on a Sunday morning
a friend shares the beauty of being surrounded
by flowers perfuming the air; color to the eye,
a feeling of peace in the world sets quietly
at least in our world; on our shoulders
A laden tea tray rests on the round table
covered with a colorful scarf, napkins folded
the china teapot, etcetera, shining to a squeak
silver gleaming, a thimble of perky violets
bring a smile; biscuits, scones, potted cream
Our words, spoken softly in hushed tones
as if someone were listening to secrets spoken
joyful in the company of friendship we share,
in this moment of beauty that will never come again
we know it, finding this morning all the more precious
Hollyhocks, roses, poppies, snapdragons, forget-me-nots
comfort us like teddy bears sleeping on a childhood bed
statuary sprinkled gracefully along the white brick pathway
beckons us to sit on the bench, the one ‘in memory of’
recalling a love once treasured and always remembered
Enchanting notes of music float from the copse of trees,
trees casting lacy sunlight patterns across our cotton dresses,
could that be “Illumination”? Impossible, no one is there
yet anything is possible and we both hear the music
surely, dusk will bring faeries dancing among the flowers
Sunday mornings are different from the rest of the week
regardless of the sky, be it blue or lavender or yellow
whether the season is spring, summer, fall, or winter
sometimes I carry my garden in my heart, in my mind
knowing the faeries will dance there every dawn & dusk. Arlene S. Bice