Today I planted okra
Lettuce, spinach, kale
And one sad tomato
All crooked, bent and frail
Worms in every spadeful
Wiggling in the dirt
A few big nasty grubs
A little chick dessert
Next I planted flowers
And cilantro all around
Bush beans in the garden
Carrots in the ground
I looked down at my hands
When everything was done
Dirt and mud had crusted
My fingers…every one
And then I heard the laughter
The sound of running feet
I looked up from the garden
And got an awful treat
Two boys armed with squirt guns
Had come to chase me off
They giggled, smiled and shouted
Hey Mom! It’s time to stop!
a pinch of homestead 