“Budding and Waiting”

by Victoria J. Payne

Equal seeds planted at the same time –
One buds before the others – no reason, no rhyme
Days go by, and new plants bud
Except for this one… perhaps it’s a dud,
Perhaps the seeds weren’t fertile, or it was the ground, or not enough light –
But I really won’t know until a bud is in sight –
Or when the time of germination has run its full course…
But like so many other aspects of life, it’s something I just can’t force –
I mean, it’s something that I can’t make happen on my own…
Can’t even make it grow if I continue to wine, cry, or moan…
I just have to wait…

It really doesn’t make sense why the ones have started to grow and this one still has shown no signs…
But I guess I don’t even know what’s going on below the surface at the root level, on the inside…
Perhaps the seed has opened up deep down, and it’s right below the facade of the dirt,
And if I dig a little, and see the seeds trying to bud, and mess up all progress – man,  my feelings would be so hurt…
Again, y’all I just have to wait…
And believe that I’ve done all that I can do to this date…
And as the Sun has its perfect work on the ground, the plants, and the seeds,
I know the soil was good – handpicked, a little costly, and without weeds –
My seeds will eventually grow, and among Rosemary plants, be the best…
And the only reason I thought two things about this bud was because I was looking around at the rest…
But if I only remembered what the packet said, that it will take 6 weeks to germinate, I wouldn’t be fretting after 2…
I would be care-free and content as a child that just got ice cream from an ice cream truck, excited that the others were going through…

Truthfully, when I compare Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Cilantro, and Rosemary, Rosemary has the most aromatic smell and distinct flavor…
Could this be why it takes the longest?
More importantly, will the elapsed time even matter, when in elaborate dishes, the rosemary, I savor?

Victoria J. Productions © 2010