Photo by Masaaki Komori
Mediation in Early Spring: On the Need for Wildness
My yard grows uneven tufts of emerald.
I have no desire to mow it; no need to mold, to shear off unruly edges.
Wildness appeals to me this season, I cannot justify ending life to conform.
Worms and young grasshoppers, even early mosquitos offer approval.
My neighbors trim verdant expanses: forced submission and sculpted edges,
Surrounded by blooms of careful colors, coordinated bursts of almost joy.
But this year, I need unimpeded flowerings, the kind that beg no approval:
Paperwhites in clumps, messy haired hostas, even dandelions’ buttered explosions.
My rose will not be bound to its trellis and in July we will witness wild joy.
I refuse to clip back wisteria; our senses need freedom not a hedged control.
Like our own birth, we need nature’s natal explosions;
Justifying early loss is not a hobby, it is a travesty.
Clippers and edgers will rust; have we not learned we wield no control?
Life is all beauty and fog; we are spiders spinning ephemeral webs,
Grasping at wet winds leaves our hands chapped, so I see no travesty
As I watch my yard grow uneven tufts of emerald.
The Author
Laura Johnson is a poet in Eastern Iowa who is a founding co-editor of the journal Backchannels. Laura holds a MFA from The University of New Orleans and is a graduate (BA, MA) of the University of Iowa. Laura’s work has appeared in Goat’s Milk Magazine, Thimble Literary Magazine, and The Dewdrop among others. Laura’s chapbook, Memento Vivere (Cabin Bear Books), is available at laurajohnsonwriter.com and wherever you buy books.
