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Everywhere I go,
there are rules I have to follow—
someone telling me what to do.
"A man’s home is his castle." Ha!
I bet the guy who said that
was not in earshot of his wife.
Yes, everywhere, someone else makes the rules--
except in my garden.
There, I am the King and I make the rules.
You! Tomatoes! Stand up straight and tall!
Zucchini! Lay low and cover the ground!
Peppers, toil in the sun and produce a bit more;
anyone who doesn’t produce will pay
for their sin with their life!
Weeds, you annoy me; it’s off with your heads!
And bugs, you come like poachers in the night,
eating what is mine; when I catch you
I’ll crush you under my thumb!
But you, my little sweet petunia—
you make me smile.
You will be the jester in my court,
in this garden—my garden,
where I make the rules,
I am the King and, yes,
it’s good to be King.
© 2011 by Jose Ferrer.
Used with the author’s permission.
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Jose Ferrer is a systems analyst who spent many years working for Fortune 100 companies before launching his own software development company, Practical Business Systems. A creative thinker who enjoys problem solving, helping small businesses use technology, and exploring new technologies that can make the world a better place, Jose is a dedicated gardener and maintains a semi-regular blog about his adventures in digging at http://thegardeninggeek.net. Father of three sons who enjoy the fruits of his labor but, alas, not the work required to produce it, Jose lives in Greenville, South Carolina.
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mimi:
look out, Jayne, there's another poet in the family! good poem, and fun, too!
Posted 06/06/2011 07:35 AM
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Linda Lee (Konichek):
This poem is fun and surely deserves to be shared; I became a gardner at 62, and still don't know how it happened, but nothing beats that feeling when my perrenials return for another year. Thanks, Jose and Jayne.
Posted 06/04/2011 10:03 PM
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nadia ibrashi:
Lovely.
Posted 06/04/2011 04:34 PM
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Buckner14:
What fun! I know my gardener husband would have loved this! (He retired to become a fulltime gardener.)
Posted 06/04/2011 11:50 AM
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Joe Sottile:
Jose, now I know why many men enjoy gardening so much! Thanks for sharing and being married to a Queen who inspires many.
Posted 06/04/2011 10:17 AM
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KevinArnold:
Is there perhaps a double meaning in these lines?
But you, my little sweet petunia—
you make me smile.
You will be the jester in my court,
in this garden—my garden,
. . . I see a much larger, shared garden here . . .
Posted 06/04/2011 08:17 AM
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dotief@comcast.net:
What a great poem! I, however, have yet to get my tomatoes to do as they should. My subjects are a bit less cooperative than yours, Jose. Still, I love how you make this poem work.
Posted 06/04/2011 08:00 AM
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Jo:
Jose,
I really enjoyed your poem. You truly are master of your garden. I can just imagine your kitchen brimming with the fruits of your labor.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted 06/04/2011 07:33 AM
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Camille:
My late husband would have loved this poem! He was truly a master gardener and plants flourished under his care. Thank you for bringing back many sweet memories!
Posted 06/04/2011 05:43 AM
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Katrina:
They've been programmed!
Posted 06/04/2011 04:22 AM
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