To Each His Own

A well known painter stopping by
To take a picture of my yard,
Asks me to pose with watering can
Pretending to be working hard.

It's taken almost forty years
To bring my yard to its fruition.
An artist's painting once well done
Will last for many a generation.

My artistry with spade and hoe
Is never quite a finished work;
Unraveling like unknotted yarn
If I digress and duty shirk.

Dear lovely lady, do your best
To capture this ethereal beauty,
Blooming now in wild array;
A vivid dish of tutti-frutti.

Next year perhaps the scene will change;
Efforts to duplicate in vain,
Today's performers in the past.
Only your painting will remain.

So why don't I pick up the brush
And cast away my spade and hoe?
The lure of living medium
Only a gardener can know.

By: Joyce 4/27/06