The Gardener

[Janeva]

I have written this as a tribute to my Stepdad who died just before Christmas last year.

 

Any critique welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Jan

 

 

'The Gardener'

 

Spring is his favourite time of year

When tiny shoots of life appear

Daffodils raise heads of gold

As daylight bring relief from cold

Bluebells dance to jazzy tunes

On bright and breezy afternoons

The winding paths lead far beyond

Where water spills to sparkling ponds

 

Spring is his favourite time of year

The blackbird signals dawn is near

There’s work to do but it’s no chore

To paint in colour nature’s floor

With seeds to sow and plants to feed

The summer show is guaranteed

And finally when all is done

He’ll close his eyes in evening sun

 

Spring was his favourite time of year

The tiny shoots all reappeared

The daffodils they all still came

The sun still rose and set the same

The bluebells rang their usual tunes

From early light till afternoon

The sunlight on the paths still showed

Where sparkling icy water flowed

 

Spring was his favourite time of year

And it's so sad now he's not here.

 

 

© J Hutchinson 2014. 

[Dave Bradley]

Brought a lump to my throat Jan. Lovely.

[Janeva]

Thank you, David, that means a lot.....   

[lillypilly]

There's work to do but it's no chore

to paint in colour natures floor

 

like this poem very much

[Janeva]

There's work to do but it's no chore

to paint in colour natures floor

 

like this poem very much

 

 

Thank you very much.  I was hoping this would make a fitting tribute to him. 

 

Jan

[Peggy]

Jan, this is so sweet. Thanks for sharing with us. Peggy

[Gwyneth]

This is incredibly beautiful. Full of rich imagery, you made his garden come to life. It's a stunning tribute to your "Other" dad. It's

apparent you had a great relationship.

My fav lines

There’s work to do but it’s no chore

To paint in colour nature’s floor

 

Cheers

G

[Merv Webster]

G'day Jan.  Pleasant tribute and your stepdad obviously loved the time of year when new life blossoms forth.

 

 

Merv

[Janeva]

Jan, this is so sweet. Thanks for sharing with us. Peggy

 

Thank you for reading and commenting, Peggy.

 

This is incredibly beautiful. Full of rich imagery, you made his garden come to life. It's a stunning tribute to your "Other" dad. It's

apparent you had a great relationship.

My fav lines

There’s work to do but it’s no chore

To paint in colour nature’s floor

 

Cheers

G

 

Thank you, Gwyneth, I thought a while to find the right lines there.......

 

G'day Jan.  Pleasant tribute and your stepdad obviously loved the time of year when new life blossoms forth.

 

 

Merv

 

Thank you, Merv, your comments are appreciated.

 

Jan

[Maggie Pope]

I think it's beautiful, Jan…  and deepest condolences on the loss of your stepdad 

 

It's perfect as is.. but my thought, being a spiritual person (if you are not, then you can disregard these thoughts!!), is that spring is a time of being sort of re-born.  Everything goes through a sort of death/transformation in the cold of winter.  Then when spring arrives, new life and beauty materialize, but only after moving through that phase of 'death' over the winter - a necessary step to reap the benefits of the new life of spring.  I think springtime is a beautiful metaphor for what I believe happens when we die.  And I think that it is a fitting thing that this was your stepdad's favorite time of year

 

Anyway - my thoughts while reading were that, although you miss him dearly and are sad that he is gone, you still have the gift of spring to remind you that he lives on, and like the flowers and trees that he loved so dearly, he has been given the gift of new life as well...

 

So no real thoughts on needing to improve your words  Just a rambling deep thought that I wanted to share - something your beautiful words prompted me to think about

[Janeva]

I think it's beautiful, Jan…  and deepest condolences on the loss of your stepdad 

 

It's perfect as is.. but my thought, being a spiritual person (if you are not, then you can disregard these thoughts!!), is that spring is a time of being sort of re-born.  Everything goes through a sort of death/transformation in the cold of winter.  Then when spring arrives, new life and beauty materialize, but only after moving through that phase of 'death' over the winter - a necessary step to reap the benefits of the new life of spring.  I think springtime is a beautiful metaphor for what I believe happens when we die.  And I think that it is a fitting thing that this was your stepdad's favorite time of year

 

Anyway - my thoughts while reading were that, although you miss him dearly and are sad that he is gone, you still have the gift of spring to remind you that he lives on, and like the flowers and trees that he loved so dearly, he has been given the gift of new life as well...

 

So no real thoughts on needing to improve your words  Just a rambling deep thought that I wanted to share - something your beautiful words prompted me to think about

 

Hi Maggie

 

Thanks for reading this through and for all your comments. Yes, the cycle of life really does go on after loved ones are gone.

 

Although spring was very difficult this year without him there were reminders everywhere in the garden he loved.

 

Jan

[darren]

A very poignant and moving piece, Jan. I agree with Maggie - our lives mirror the four seasons in a way, and hopefully the arrival of the bluebells and daffodils each year will bring life and colour to the memories you have of your stepdad.  

[Janeva]

A very poignant and moving piece, Jan. I agree with Maggie - our lives mirror the four seasons in a way, and hopefully the arrival of the bluebells and daffodils each year will bring life and colour to the memories you have of your stepdad.  

 

 

Hi Darren

 

Thank you for your kind words. 

 

Yes, the garden is a comfort to us and a beautiful lasting memorial.

 

Jan

[BK Williamson]

Hey Jan,

 

This was beautiful and very moving as all of your writing is.  I am a spiritual person but I'm not religious in the least.  I have always leaned more to the scientific side of things.  But there are things that science can not explain which, in my opinion, make up a part of spirituality.  Like the energy that carries on after our body's leave this plane.  That is why I don't believe in death.  Part of everything carries on beyond all the physical changes that take place in our small realities.  So even though I miss them very much, I believe my parents are still with me in some sense.  They are a part of everything I see and feel and they will always be alive in my memories. Just my own humble thoughts.

 

All the best,

Bryan

[Janeva]

Hey Jan,

 

This was beautiful and very moving as all of your writing is.  I am a spiritual person but I'm not religious in the least.  I have always leaned more to the scientific side of things.  But there are things that science can not explain which, in my opinion, make up a part of spirituality.  Like the energy that carries on after our body's leave this plane.  That is why I don't believe in death.  Part of everything carries on beyond all the physical changes that take place in our small realities.  So even though I miss them very much, I believe my parents are still with me in some sense.  They are a part of everything I see and feel and they will always be alive in my memories. Just my own humble thoughts.

 

All the best,

Bryan

 

Hi Bryan

 

Thanks for reading this and for all your kind words.  They are all very much appreciated. 

 

Jan

[MPerry]

Hi Jan

 

A very beautiful and eloquent tribute, filled with richly textured references of the man you loved, your memories and his life thank you for sharing him  with the rest of us. regards Mike 

[Janeva]

Hi Jan

 

A very beautiful and eloquent tribute, filled with richly textured references of the man you loved, your memories and his life thank you for sharing him  with the rest of us. regards Mike 

 

Hi Mike

 

Thanks for your comments, they are much appreciated.

 

Jan