Found in Michler’s Greenhouse
I miss the fig tree
that lived by the house
my grandfather built
stumped out in its prime
to avoid roots spreading
into the cracks between
well-laid bricks
16 thoughts on "Found in Michler’s Greenhouse"
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Oh, the sacrifices we make to keep the bricks in a row. There’s a magnolia doing the same to my patio. I’m going to let it disrupt the edges.
yes fig trees can have aggressive roots
I didn’t know that about figs – glad you were able to resurrect the memory!
Tender memory. I can feel your attachment to the fig tree in the words of this poem.
Those roots may have been problematic for those bricks, but they took root in your memory! What a great poem and image, Gaby. I always look forward to reading your work.
Personally I’d rather have the figs, but maybe that’s just me …
Wonderful poem to pair with today’s photo. Descriptive and nostalgic.
And Michler’s is always so much fun!
“stumped out in its prime” wins the sweet poetic touch award!
A big story told in very few words!
another great poem and photo connection!
Concise and poignant!
Rhythmic and alliterative, Gaby. So deeply tender
I love the complexity here: a fig becomes more than a fig: it becomes instability and doubt, even though it is always a perfect and beloved fig.
Wonderful. On first read, I went straight to my patch of fig trees that I am trying to snuff out because they became a tangled mess. On the next read, I felt the sadness of “stumped out in its prime”. And the photo depicts the beauty of the fig tree.
This is beautiful, Gaby! I love how you just lay out the facts, simply and beautifully – and make me feel wistful along with you!
Gaby, the fig tree is forever fixed in your memory.