My Home Gardening Journey

by Alison, Grade 12

bees have escaped their hive

looking for a place to go

finding refuge

mind

I water the plants on my windowsill

each

morning

when I wake up

I deliberately placed my bed so that it would

face the window

you can’t avoid responsibility for what is in plain sight

Obviously,

since I’ve been watering them there has been growth

but why have the new petals that emerged

from stems stable in the soil

gone unnoticed?

with each passing day,

it’s like I’m blind to their growth

it’s more water

and more

the pollen from the bees

aids my windowsill garden but

how do I ease

the thoughts that the bees bring?

I’m not a natural gardener

this regular thumb turned green

my hands and feet

induced to walk upon

soil riddled with insecticides

List of 1 items.

Winter 2024

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.