Poem: "Householder" by Mary Stanley

Never build a house to the south, they say. 

It's cold. The sun goes north on holiday, 

the nights are bitter, even the fleas retreat. 

But summer, ah, summer is another time. 

The flimsy house is hot enough, the doors

and windows gape to catch a breath of air. 

And yet I like this house under the pines. 

We have mended the roof, painted the walls, set all

in order. Only the garden will not be tamed. 

No manual can coax this stubborn earth

to bloom. Sometimes we blame the pines, and laugh

knowing our lazy ways. The weeds rejoice. 

     -- Mary Stanley

Those who have neglected their gardens due to other life pressures will identify with this poem. My wife and I epitomise the last line: "knowing our lazy ways. The weeds rejoice."

For more about the poet:

http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/stanleymary.html