Avidly we cultivate the gardens of our lives
According to our values – to each his Eden:
Landscaped, planned, and planted out as bidden
Formal or wild, neat plot or vista thrives.
To build our park or simple cottage garden
We fell the forest, clear unwanted weeds
Follow our ideals, but seldom our real needs:
And as time passes, our ideas harden.
The materialist grows vegetables – good
To fill his belly. Others only flowers,
Food for the spirit. The imbalance is seen
Too late. Watered with our blood,
The crops we reap are ours:
But unfulfilled we mourn what might have been.
catterel 
This is absolutely brilliant!
The metaphors are so rich is meaning.
Did you write this after your separation?
Thanks Elizaabeth. I honestly can’t remember when I wrote it!
I love your reflections about gardens, Cat. Whatever you plant in your garden probably says a lot about what sort of a personality you are. Some people move to a different place nearly every year and wherever they move too establish a new garden. I imagine each new garden would show the person’s experience and knowledge about gardening.
I regret that I or my husband do not have a better knowledge of gardening. Whatever we grow for our bellies doesn’t seem to thrive at all, whereas the wild parts in our garden tend to overwhelm us at times!
However, to be able to sit in a garden and enjoy it is what makes life worth living! 🙂
My mother has a stone slab carved by her father in her garden saying: The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth; one is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.” Yes, i’m sure our gardens reflect our characters.
I love what it says in your mother’s garden, Cat. We enjoy the sun in our garden, listening to the birds, while we are sitting there having a cup of tea. Total bliss for us! 🙂
Lovely, but a little sad to look back and seen what we might have grown.