April 27: Patty

Patty

On a farm with a big organic garden,
There’s always more to be done,
So you do what you have to, not asking for pardon
In your balance of duty and fun,
Feeling the wind and the sun.

It’s a way of life where you see the fruition
And reap the results of your toil,
And as you do so, you make decisions
On how much to devote to the soil;
What to save and what to let spoil.

What to cook, or freeze, or consign to canning,
And what’s good enough to sell
It’s a process involving hard labor and planning,
And drawing from your spiritual well,
You mull it over sometimes when you’ve got peas to shell,

But what you’ll do, you know you can’t always tell.

With matters like these, you must constantly grapple,
But on the way from the store,
You see a tree over laden with apples,
So you take a break from your chores,
And knock on that home-owner’s door;

Who hasn’t the sensibilities,
The ability or even the time
To do something with his apple trees
And he’s more than grateful to find
A good person who’s so inclined,

Who’s got a ladder that she’s ready to climb.

He’s astonished to hear your enthusiasm
About picking up fruit off the ground,
And you break through social and political chasms
As every year you come around,
And a smile replaces a lonely frown,
And it looks like a friend you have found!

On a farm with a big organic garden,
There’s always more to be done,
So you do what you have to, not asking for pardon
In your balance of duty and fun,
Feeling the wind and the sun,

And working through the rain and the cold.

Sometimes it looks like just another distraction;
A commitment to yet another chore,
But you feel when you put yourself into action,
You’re able to do even more
Towards paying endeavors not thought of before,

Filling needs that you cannot ignore.

And slowly, you build a connection.
You might bake him more than one apple pie!
In a dangerous world, you’ll need protection,
And it pays to diversify.
But that’s not the reason why!
As you do what you love, you get by.