Earth gives only so much
and does not always cooperate.
We gather and steam
and work and regale each
other with stories. Meanwhile,
a single emerald winks
from the dull ground, then becomes
another and another
until life pushes forward, sliding
aside our doubtful sands
and mournful pebbles.
A new life, a new garden
begins with that single stem
suddenly, exultantly budding.
