. . . the gardener

awakening
before the dawn

an octogenarian
eagerly rises, prepared

by small prayer
he departs from his cell—

some weeding, some pruning
soon will follow—

chapel, light breakfast
the order of day.

outside sacred walls,
under straw hat shade

he toils, he tends
to God’s garden—

the greatest of care
for detail, does he pay—

not a chore
but a labor of love.

This poem recently appeared in the July 2007 issue of Fruits of the Creative Garden, a magazine for creative expression.