Reach into the soil.
Keep the rows weed free.
Hedge our future on
these heirloom seeds,
passed down from great-
grandmothers who have toiled
in side yard gardens, juggled
in between the myriad of other
chores to sustain their families.
After sunset and the kitchen cleaned,
they hunched beside dim tables,
to preserve and label little hopes and dreams.
The fruition of their summer’s work,
like these, which now I put to earth,
little jewels wait to burst forth,
to sprout and vine, flower and feed.
Thank you, Josephine Jackson,
for these half-runner greasy beans.