POEM: When the Land Remembered

 

When the Land Remembered

Long before we planted tomatoes or mowed lawns or argued with dandelions, 

    this land had its own garden.

It wasn’t planted by people — it grew by itself, slowly, patiently,

    like a story being written by wind and rain.

In that old garden, every plant had a job.

The milkweed fed the monarchs.

The oaks raised whole families of caterpillars in their branches.

The goldenrod lit up the fall like tiny lanterns,                                                        calling bees to their last feast of the season.

Everything fit. Everything belonged.

Then people arrived with seeds from faraway places — useful plants, pretty plants, curious plants.

Plants that reminded them of home.

Some plants stayed politely.

Some took over.

And some crowded out the quiet natives who had been here since the beginning.

But here’s the good part of the story — the part where we get to be the heroes.

Every time we plant a native plant, we help the old garden remember itself.

We bring back the food the butterflies lost.

We rebuild the tiny neighborhoods where bees raise their young.

We give birds the insects they need to feed their babies.

We stitch the land back together, one root at a time.

A native plant isn’t just a plant.

It’s a piece of the original story — 

and when we plant it, the land whispers, 

                                            “Oh… I remember this.”

                                               

~ A.I. Aidan

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                                              HERB SAMPLER Second Edition

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more as gifts – hostess gifts, teachers,  housewarming, and any celebration.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.