Slow Gardening
The gardener at Cormatin
One of three, his work among the formal beds
Smiled and spoke of what he loved
Described himself as slow
No speed was in his day
I heard the beauty in that word
Where some perhaps would frown
Tut in censure, bustle by
At least a hundred synonyms
Are listed here, like lazy
Dumb and dull, lagging, slack
Or plodding, dilatory, dense
Stagnant, tiresome, just plain late
The list is sluggish, snail-like, thick
A heavy-footed catalogue
Lumpen trails across the page
But speedy world, all rushing on
Some treasure may be missed
The loveliness in largo
Lingering andante lentissimo
The gift of time unhurried
The beauty of the slow
The gardener at Cormatin
One of three, his work among the formal beds
Smiled and spoke of what he loved
Described himself as slow
No speed was in his day
I heard the beauty in that word
Where some perhaps would frown
Tut in censure, bustle by
At least a hundred synonyms
Are listed here, like lazy
Dumb and dull, lagging, slack
Or plodding, dilatory, dense
Stagnant, tiresome, just plain late
The list is sluggish, snail-like, thick
A heavy-footed catalogue
Lumpen trails across the page
But speedy world, all rushing on
Some treasure may be missed
The loveliness in largo
Lingering andante lentissimo
The gift of time unhurried
The beauty of the slow
4th October 2009, Hounoux
The gardener and his gift reminded me so much of the very same gift that many of the disabled children I have been involved with have given to me. How non inclusive the speed of life is to many but regardless they were able to overcome and succeed at their own pace. So many times I was in awe of their patience to persist with independance and realise I was the one who needed to adjust my own expectation of pace. On a good day I can be mindful of this, and your poem captures it beautifully. The idea of 'Slow gardening' serves as a useful prompt, it fits so well with 'take time to smell the flowers'.
ReplyDeleteWe had remarked on how much he had to do in the garden if the total work was all to be done by 3 of them, and that was when he said he was 'lent' but that he had time to talk to us- and he obviously enjoyed doing that. It is very interesting what you say about the gift a disabled child can give in terms of realising it isn't all about rush and tear. The same is true of elderly people too sometimes. I happened upon the list of synonyms for slow in my crossword dictionary and couldn't help but notice how negative many of them were. I feel defensive about slowness on a personal level because I am a slow person myself. See my poem The tortoise, the snail and me' !
ReplyDeleteOne further thought, Jude, which is that I think what we can give through our home in Hounoux is 'the gift of time unhurried' which so many people find seriously lacking in their lives.
ReplyDelete