Songs of the Garden
What’s wrong, handsome small farmer? Heron stopping, pony stopping— magic— * Healthy, educated maiden, she would serve you a rough half-bushel— cockle soup, a brew, the water in which the puddings had been cooked * Remember, pilgrim: not the clothes, the road. Pass between two hills’ breadth. Put wind into the wish. * Mischance fall upon them who avoid the conflict: the fork of their breeches tied in a bundle * Manage cheerfully, two by two: cock and gander, dove and dragon. * Defied book-knowledge— Taught the garden— * A compact: first, housewifely tasks; then, much ale.
Copyright © 2019 Anna Lena Phillips Bell. This poem was originally published in Quarterly West. Used with permission of the author.