My Garden Is Paradise

My garden is paradise
without the snake or the man
A love of green things
finds me my clan
It is my child, this tree
digs my soul from aground,
sets it free

My garden has lessons in seeds
Of patience & acceptance
and ordinariness in needs
And now the rain is here
now it sings
harmonies of mud & water
celebrates all living things

My garden is safe haven
for insects, worms, stray feelings
This green space is home
to balance & healing
They all go to earth
Fire, water, air make balance
the cycle of goodbye & rebirth

My window garden began about a decade ago with an ajwain branch that I stuck into mud instead of in my food. It took joyful root & led me down a journey of learning about life from green things. I learn from experience what my plants need in water, air, sunlight & care. Most of all, my plants have taught me how to listen & watch & trust that life will find its own ways.

If you’d like the company of a plant, you can start small & easy from your own kitchen. A pinch of mustard (rai), cumin (jeera) or fenugreek (methi) seeds buried in mud & watered every day will put up shoots in a week. Happy gardening! 🌱