Nurture your Nature

Opening the garden ... of the heart [109] (36 lines)

Opening the garden ... of the heart

The garden opens its gates each year ...

as the gardener watches in anticipation,
as frost and freeze have finally yielded ...

yet early visitors want a carpet of color
(its not quite spring) and holler to each other,

"How little these bushes, how ugly this stream,
how useless they seem."1

The gardener knows better and calmly explains,
"in time we will harvest bushels of berries.

these will be red and juicy, those black and loved by bears
we'll be lucky if they don't glean them first."

"Well, this one tried to grab my purse!"
"Ah, to love a rose we must forgive its thorns,

to inhale its fragrance we must nourish its nature,
cherish it for whatever it offers... and never scorn.2

They walk through the drizzle under umbrellas,
sidestepping the puddles, avoid every wet frond.

"Why don't you drain this dank muddy pond?"
"I'm fond of the blossoms that rise from the muck each summer."

The visitors wrinkle their noses. "Yuck."
"Well, lets move on and not block the view for those behind us."3

Around the back bare trees overshadow slick paths,
shading the promise of ferns and moss.

"I like flowers. I have no use for forests."
"This tall tree pelts us with nuts by the hundreds; these twigs ease pain;

this straight limb will give its life to provide us shelter;
these beckon with golden leaves come autumn;

they have earned my respect
and deserve to remain."4

And so the gardener gently guides his guests
breathing deep to put his own anger to rest

as he remembers his teacher, a master gardener,
who showered him with patience over the years

and taught him how to overcome inner fears
by showing him how to tend the garden

and make it his friend.5


© Kåre Enga [177.109] (29.juni.2020)

Story-poem of 36 lines for:

FORUM

Share Your Faith  (13+) Are you spiritual? Religious? Or not at all? Can you incorporate this into your writing? #2204562 by Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline

June Prompt: Anger We all of us feel angry every now and then. How do you deal with it? How do you overcome it? How do you stop it from leading to resentment? 6

1005

Footnotes
1  Overlook the shortcomings of others:

The friends of God should become the manifestors in this world of this mercy and love. They should not dwell on the shortcomings of others. Ceaselessly should they be thinking how they may benefit others and show service and co-operation. Thus should they regard every stranger, putting aside such prejudices and superstitions as might prevent friendly relations. – Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 1, p. 9.
2  Practice forgiveness:

We must look upon our enemies with a sin-covering eye and act with justice when confronted with any injustice whatsoever, forgive all, consider the whole of humanity as our own family, the whole earth as our own country, be sympathetic with all suffering, nurse the sick, offer a shelter to the exiled, help the poor and those in need, dress all wounds and share the happiness of each one. – Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 41.
3  Stop backbiting and dwelling on the bad qualities of others:

Waste not your precious time in fault-finding and backbiting. Polish the surface of the mirrors of your hearts from the dross of human frailties. – Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 4, p. 104.
4  Instead, search for and affirm their praiseworthy qualities:

One must see in every human being only that which is worthy of praise. When this is done, one can be a friend to the whole human race. If, however, we look at people from the standpoint of their faults, then being a friend to them is a formidable task. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections of the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 169.
5  Try to be patient, kind and merciful.

…ye must show forth tenderness and love to every human being, even to your enemies, and welcome them all with unalloyed friendship, good cheer, and loving-kindness. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 21
6  An article that explains in more detail: https://bahaiteachings.org/spiritual-antidotes-for-anger/