Sunday, February 20, 2011

Today was a good day to be outside....

Hoeing John Updike

I sometimes fear the younger generation will be deprived
of the pleasures of hoeing;
there is no knowing
how many souls have been formed by this simple exercise.

The dry earth like a great scab breaks, revealing
moist-dark loam--
the pea-root's home,
a fertile wound perpetually healing.

How neatly the green weeds go under!
The blade chops the earth new.
Ignorant the wise boy who
has never performed this simple, stupid, and useful wonder.

1 comment:

lori [laeroport] said...

awww... thanks for sharing that. it was a hoeing kind of day. and today, back to winter. miss you. and your wonderful family. you all need to trek west.