By Paul Cappiello
. . . with all apologies to Clement Moore and Dr. Seuss.
‘Twas the night before COVID and all ‘cross the land,
Gardeners were resting and making their plan.
The ground was a thawing and losing its chill,
The bulbs were emerging, all seemed fine, still.
The nurseries were stocked and the season was humming,
But can’t fool a gardener, we know somethings coming.
Then all of a sudden, rose a serious brew,
We’re all locked at home now with nothing to do.
So we all rushed to Prime and to PayPal and Google,
Searching and searching “but must, must stay frugal!”
No bicycles, skateboards, no racquets or balls,
It’s getting quite serious, this staring at walls.
But wait, there’s the garden, a good and true friend,
“I know what I’ll do, I’ll amend and amend.”
So off for some mulch and some composted poo,
To add to my garden ... “that’s something to do”.
But when I arrived, my eyes were amazed,
There were people upon people all looking quite dazed.
Millennials and hipsters and seniors galore,
They were wandering aimlessly ‘round the plant store.
They’d read a few blogs and consulted TikTok,
And decided a garden was the new way to rock.
So off to the iPad and the Door Dash account,
To click on the links and to work this all out.
But what to their wondering eyes made them shiver,
You can’t buy a garden ‘cause they don’t deliver.
No pansies, no compost, no planters, no rope,
No deliveries offered, “I just can’t quite cope”.
But after a while the nurseries complied,
They started to offer the curbside supply.
So peppers, zucchini and kale and some bloom,
Found their way home for new gardeners to groom.
And the neighboring gardeners with warm heart and smile,
Offered advice and a good bit of style.
They shared all their tricks and garden traditions,
To help these new gardeners build their own editions.
But then it turned hot and the weeds started coming,
The rain all dried up and the mosquitoes were humming.
The dragging of hoses and pulling of weeds,
Made all the new gardeners question their deeds
“How useless and futile this whole gardening thing,
Is it really quite worth it, this organic plant bling?”
And then in an instant, the new, young and old,
Learned what renders the garden and work solid gold.
That very first harvest all juicy and sweet,
Made the work of the season seem like a great treat.
So welcome new gardeners, we hope you will stay,
Encourage your friends, more gardens on the way!!.
Cause what is a garden, come COVID or not,
But a cure for the soul, grown in any old spot.
