I remember so clearly the barren crater
Gouged from the ground in our yard
Dusty with sand and jagged with rubble
A porta-pool grave of plastic and wire
Who had the foresight, the vision, the faith
To see in its midst, the garden?
Who had the hope, the courage in life
To dream of flowers and streams?
The reality was bleak in its manifest form
Yet the future was for the creating
And today is a testimony to the triumphant seed
Of imagination nurtured by labour
For the hole has been covered and moulded and planted
And bursts forth with a colourful blaze
The water, once sterile, now flows to a pond
Where family gathers and darting fish play
This is the star in the darkness of night
The jewel in the mountain of rock
This is my glade of peace and tranquillity
My inspiration – my garden of hope
Wayne Visser © 1998
Book
Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems
This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.
