State of the Garden (Fleeting)


I went out back to make preparations for the storm. This included constructing protected space around the basement windows. I’d hesitated for years to give away the sheet plexiglass I’d used in a single artist show in the late 1990s. Every time I did a cleaning, I’d hold on to the plexiglass. Now I know why.
There was a little bit of kale and a few spring onions. They were sweet from having been frozen.
Saturn and Jupiter. I am amazed at how wonderful my view turns out to be. The last time they appeared to be this close, it was the year of the hanging chads.

Today I was filled with grief and anxiety, having taken in the pictures of India and Palestine and Iran and New York and Italy and for-profit prisons in the US and cages of refugees at the border and the over-burdened and under-supported health care workers and and and. And being out walking is strange.
First, I counted my blessings. Then because I know what helps me, I did it:
I sat myself down and did pranayama and meditation, made healthy simple meals, worked with focus all day, gave more money to those out helping and trying to change things for the better, spent some time cleaning and gardening, and soon will return to practicing, putting aside the influx of information for the remaining hours before bed.
Blessings to all of you.
