planting for the season

I…
is it Winter…still;
wake me when it’s Spring
and I shall plant geranium
indiscriminate in blue white pots
staggered on the Summer porch

II…
though I shall not sweep
ginkgo biloba hearts of Autumn
slightly folded gold dulled cups
that clog gutters…clump corners
and step creases near my deck

III…
until you knock…to bring me violets
in small brick red ceramics…nutrients,
a folded paper for their special care;
I was waiting…I shall toss the note
for I know their complicated keeping

IV…
not like geranium… thriving in an outdoor batch;
violets prefer East facing tables or a windowsill
are touchy about watering…droplets left on leaves;
yet most of all…violets must have ample space
around their roots to breathe

Bonnie Marshall

Artist: John Ferren, “Contemplations on Geraniums”
1952