Volunteer beans sprouting in the tilled soil
provenance unknown, joining the driveway
tomatoes, last year’s marigolds, and all
the new plantings to make a garden

Groundhogs aplenty, rabbits too many t
o count, racoons eagerly testing the g
arden gate to gauge its sturdiness,
Cardinals alighting on garden stakes

Watchful under her tree, border collie
keeps a tab on the comings and goings
Rabbits look up, pause and keep eating, safe
from the herder, too sleepy to care what
happens in the garden, she dozes on