Hauling Water by M.J. Iuppa

Enough— I think, letting the too full watering can bob in the barrel

               before lifting it up & slogging it to the garden’s raised rows

where our spring’s tender plants wait in the too bright sun, wait

               with thin leaves parched by the wicking wind; wait for

the miracle of green water falling overhead, in the slight turn of

               my wrist, trying to pour evenly among each and every

one, knowing this water isn’t enough. I want this year’s garden

                to have a life, not the ghost stories of deer ambling by

in the night— snipping the beans, or pulling up the golden beets,

                and leaving the Detroit reds. I’ve spent hours imagining

these gardens overflowing with abundance, which give me

               a different worry—to pick what’s ripe before it’s too late.

Too late— that’s what the sunflowers say, leaning over the fence.

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M.J. Iuppa’s fourth poetry collection is This Thirst (Kelsay Books, 2017). For the past 33 years, she has lived on a small farm near the shores of Lake Ontario. Coffee can be bittersweet. Check out her blog: mjiuppa.blogspot.com for her musings on writing, sustainability & life’s stew.