cultivating gardens real and imaginary

Rooftop gardens are still blooming in cities everywhere. No matter how small or large our gardens, or how large or small we gardeners, we all share a farmer’s joys and vicissitudes, so delightfully illlustrated in this New Yorker cover by Ivan Brunetti entitled “Urban Bliss”.

Poet Marianne Moore observed that poetry cultivates “imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” Kay Ryan seconds the motion in “The Best of It”, a potent little poem about the valiant efforts we can’t seem to help but make… to grow.

However carved up

or pared down we get,

we keep on making

the best of it as though

it doesn’t matter that

our acre’s down to

a square foot. As

though our garden

could be one bean

and we’d rejoice if

it flourishes, as

though one bean

could nourish us.