To be astonished is one of the surest ways of not growing old too quickly.
                                                                                                  —Colette

Patio gardener,
I know so little about nature.
Water and snip,
eliminate stragglers.
If dumb luck prevails
new shoots push up 
through soil jammed
into little pots.

Odd, the excitement
watching tiny sprouts
redefine old.

This is where it gets
complicated.
Nota bene: I may
feel astonished
but choose to tip my hat
to the here and now,
sort the garbage,
turn off the kitchen lights,
move into sunlight,
read directions
on the plant food, 
place a teaspoon of
magical blue powder
in that battered watering can,
celebrate renewal.

© by Anita S. Pulier.
Used with the author's permission.