I am uneasy sleeper,
Rise in the early morning hours,
To view a sleeping world…

I rise,
And feel alone,
Smell the birth of dawn,
As the sun struggles upward,
One more time…

Pink and blue skies,
Haunt my mornings,
Their long slender fingers,
Pull me up,
Wake me from a dreamless sleep…

I rise and smell the air,
Fresh with garden dirt,
Long to feel it with my fingers,
Plant new life in old earth-

I comfort my flowers,
As they stretch into my waiting hands,
Strong smell of black coffee,
Near my hand,
Black as midnight,
Sweetened just so-
The ants smell it too,
And they line up,
Ready to march-
Overcome my cup,
If I leave it to long…

I am a woman of the earth,
Never learned to fly,
Like those young beauties,
I watch walk by…

Being thus,
I plant the old ones,
Nasturtiums,
The wild flowers of youth,
That the young women,
Love to use in their hair…

Sweet peas for the young lady
In my home,
How much she loves their sweet fragrance
Permeating her room…

Bachelor buttons for the young men,
Who love the blue-
Morning Glories for the snails,
And the fences that never get mended…

Roses for my sister,
Who sheds tears for their beauty,
And never plucks them,
Preferring to see them wither on the vine,
Then be the cause of their doom…

For me,
I plant the poppies,
That grows so wild and free,
Sending out their young,
To drift in the morning breeze…

Carnations with its cinnamon scent,
To guide those who travel along my trail…
The snap dragons and their silent roar,
Fills the air with such beauty and more…

I work my ground deep and rich,
Until the soil is black,
Feel its richness and fragrance surround me,
I am alone in the world,
With memories at my fingertips,
And dreams in my soul…

By the time the others begin to rise,
I would have come and gone,
With small vases of fresh flowers
In every room for them to see…
Then enter my shower to wash away,
The earth’s rustic smell from me…

But no matter where I look now,
I smell where I have been,
Out among the world sharing secrets,
And tomorrow I shall go again…