A Garden Poem

In Remembrance

Of A Friend

 

A former English teacher and a poet, Liz Arneth created not only a garden to commemorate her late friend, Pam Reilly, but put her feelings into words, as well.

 

Pam’s Place

The dirt under the swamp maples

Is like hard pan

Difficult to dig

Lacking nutrients

Perhaps not the best place

        to put a garden

There had to be a memorial for Pam

Who loved flowers

And enjoyed watching birds

Coming to her feeders

So the garden became a reality

Not without setbacks, however,

The first year plants did not flourish

They struggled in soil

        crisscrossed by roots

They did not enjoy the shade

After wheelbarrows of rich

        leaf compost

And bags upon bags of cedar mulch,

Loam began to form

Little by little some things took root

Hostas love a challenge

Phlox seeded itself

Lilies and artemesia

Transplanted from other areas

Decided to stay

Beside the marble bench

Next to the concrete angel

Annuals have been added

They were told a challenge lay ahead

Pam’s life was too short

She worked very hard

Nothing came easy

She died at 51

Somehow this little plot

Is a metaphor for her life

A continuous struggle to make it

A memoriam to a special friend.