A surprise gift arrived, sender unknown. I wasn't even sure what it was, to be honest. A toy for Nala? She was definitely interested. The mystery solved itself two weeks later in a chat with my cousin, Kendy. She had finally found me a succulent that would live a long time in my house. Our garden selves had laughed about a poem I wrote years back...a bit of envy at how grounded and beautiful succulents are, just as they are.
An Ode to a Succulent
Luscious, green, ordered
You sit in your little pot
full of yourself, needing so little.
How do you do that?
How do you live with
one drop of water
each and every month?
I didn’t believe you
when I first knew you
or should I say,
when I knew the one
who lived before you.
I watered her weekly,
disbelieving any luscious plant
could live on air alone,
an occasional drop of water,
indirect sun and warmth.
That disbelief did not last long
Nor did she, sad to say.
Even as her leaves withered,
I could not believe it.
Even as she did not need my water
I could not see it.
But now I watch in my disbelief
coming to believe it is possible
quite possible
to be green, ordered, and luscious
with a drop of water,
from time to time.
And I watch in my belief
that plants speaking their own need
when they have a need
even if you think plants don’t speak
is wise. In this way, little succulent
you have spoken to me.