The Garden
Sweat trickles down my temples.
I sit in dirt pulling up chickweed and crabgrass
one weed at a time. A full bed awaits, but I’m in no rush.
Pushing my trowel under the surface, I loosen dirt around roots,
give space for my hand to gently pull the next weed,
shake off excess dirt and add to my pail.
Under a green leaf, a lady bug startles:
rich soil also home for my tiny neighbor.
A gnat buzzes my glasses, a fly tries to land on my arm.
I watch it hover, arms and back lazy with heat.
I build an altar of two gray stones stacked next to the agave
on the edge of the bed, like Jacob did centuries before.
I bless the cypress for its gift of shade.
Marking this moment, I inhale
the dampness of turned soil, sink my hand
back into dark brown earth.
Margaret Anne Kean received her BA in British/American Literature from Scripps College and her MFA from Antioch University/Los Angeles. Her chapbook collection, Cleaving the Clouds, was published by Kelsay Books in 2023. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and her work has appeared in various journals including Eunoia Review, San Antonio Review, EcoTheoReview, and Tupelo Quarterly.
Amethyst Review 