From Denny: Since everyone is doing their part for Earth Day, as a poet, I thought my part would be to celebrate the smallest unsung heroes of the garden. They contribute so much to our lives through beautiful gardens and the food we love to cook. They work tirelessly beneath the ground, out of sight, yet are a wonder in their simplicity as devoted workers of the planet.
Enjoy the wonderful photos I found over at flickr. Click on the links to the photographers' pages and enjoy more beauty! Make every day Earth Day!
The Smallest Earth Day Poem
You know how it is when...
Winter fades away in the soft Spring rain.
They push up from the ground, flourishing.
Like most troubles they start small yet
Left alone, undisturbed, they grow fast and large:
Weeds in your garden.
You know how it is when...
It’s time to pull out the garden shovel
And dig up your weeding troubles,
Shaking the clay dirt off the clinging roots and
Carefully handling our world’s simple gift:
The carpenters of the soil, Earth worms.
I remember watching a movie
Called “Seven Years in Tibet”
And how a construction was halted
When the workmen found earth worms.
They tediously picked through the dirt,
Removing carefully each and every one,
Relocating them to a safer place.
I smiled as I found myself living
That same basic respect for the worms,
Carefully lifting them to safety as
I broke apart the dirt clods by hand.
Worms in Tibet or worms in Louisiana
Labor without tiring for us all over the world.
They peek their heads out of the soil
Wondering who was disturbing their toil.
Once covered by the calming layer of dirt
They return to their important work:
Respecting the land, doing their small part.
In the Universe of countless souls and busy lives
When something so small respects our living
Can we not equally respect their place in the world?
We can do good for the Earth just like the earth worm,
One small act at a time:
You know how it is...
Denny Lyon
Copyright 22 April 2010
All Rights Reserved
Photo Credits
Butterfly on Spring clover by tanakawho @ flickr
Red shoes gardening by celine nadeau @ flickr
Unfurling fern as first sign of Spring by backpackphotography @ flickr
Busy earth worm by meaduva @ flickr
Rain bucket and flower by backpackphotography @ flickr
Japanese garden waterfall by backpackphotography @ flickr
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