Cultivate or Strangulate (IP)

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Mon, 20 Feb 2012
  • 2250 reads
8 comments
 

(of gardens, real and allegorical)

A well-kept garden, cultivation
by one with love and dedication:
but as he aged, with consternation
he watched his treasure’s strangulation.

He saw the weeds that bind and wind,
insidiously they squeezed and teased,
took light, air, food – none diligent
to cull, yank out, be vigilent.

If on the garden of my soul,
truth, wisdom words, like seeds will fall
they won’t bring beauty and good fruit
if choking weeds are left to root.

Material worries (choking trust)
that feed on greed, and feel they must
have more and more (contentment dies)
make blind and deaf to strangling lies.

cf The parable of the sower eg Matthew 13:22

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Comments

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
The metaphor of the garden works extremely effectively in this poem, Rhiannon. A brilliant take on the I.P. Very much enjoyed. Tina

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on
Thank you, Tina. Glad you found it worked. regards, Rhiannon

 

Submitted by fatboy74 on
I think this works extremely well and you have a very good eye when it comes to word placement - like Tina's poetry this feels like it has been wrought with some care - deserves some credit this, well done. :-)

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on
Thank you very much FB, for such a thoughtful comment. regards, Rhiannon

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

This one too has gone back to prose foremat.

I feel guilty when people talk about weeds, as my garden is to a large extent featuring what most people would label as weeds. I support the pretty ones, and there are many of them, and they chose where they wanted to grow and get on with it. Because they chose my garden, not the other way around, they do well, while the species of proper flowers that I try to introduce seldom are able to cope with the conditions.

I feel the Bible does weeds an injustice, making all of them synonymous with all that is bad.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Jean, I guess I ought to try and investigate which have gone back to prose format. There did seem to be a tendency at first with the new site not to like soft returns ie things that weren't wide spaced.

Your garden sounds rather like ours! We so liked Herb Robert, and the colours the leaves went in autumn, and also cinquefoil with its lovely yellow flowers, but have come to realise how quickly they spread and do choke some nice things too and get gangly. I think I was particularly thinking of the bindweed that grows so quickly smothering the hedges. And had in mind friends who do take great pleasure in the cultivation of their garden and how they would feel if they couldn't find a gardener equally dedicated in their old age or confinement, and of course the parable was told in a farming context where they were needing to grow food crops. So, all in all I think the metaphor of weeds choking the good seed is apt!

regards, Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I like this a lot, I am sure have heard the general idea in a sermon, but how you have made it is much more clear, and beautiful too. 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Appreciate your read and comment, Di.

In the parable, Jesus takes up some of the scattered seed being taken up by birds, some being on shallow soil, and some having their growth choked by weeds, and some rooted and flourishing in good soil. And he said his words are like seeds into our hearts, so let them take root and bring fruit! Rhiannon