In the Garden I Am Reminded
The hydrangeas flower into September—
blushing globes budding out as the older,
heavy-headed clusters drowse in the waning heat.
A fresh bouquet each week on the table—
every bloom a buffer to the hard sorrows
of our black and white world.
We must begin by believing
beauty, like goodness, will persist
despite the frost that calluses the land.
Deep beneath the droughted earth
rivers run cold and clean. Old loves
glimmer on, like planets of remote galaxies.
Next spring, seeds will again rattle
in their dried pods—a hint of inflorescence
just below the melting snow.
*
Barbara Sabol’s fourth poetry collection, Imagine a Town, was published in 2020. She edited the poetry anthology, Sharing This Delicate Bread, which will be released in fall of 2022 by Sheila-Na-Gig Editions. Barbara’s honors include an Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council. She lives in Akron, OH with her husband and wonder dogs.
