In fall
the garden is spent
having given its all.
Cucumber vines lie exhausted on the ground
Tomato plants list to one side
Cornstalks stand dignified and empty
Sunflower faces droop earthward,
shades of their former selves.
All that has not been claimed lies moldering in the dirt—
a bruised tomato, a forsaken pepper…
a misshapen pumpkin, a trampled stalk of beans.
What came from the earth is returning
to the place from whence it came.
There is an intimacy here,
in the fall garden,
gazing at living things in their demise.
I want to avert my eyes, avoid this tender grief.
Is this life or is this death? I cannot tell.
Ah, but there is beauty here
amid all this death and dying.
To have given one’s self fully
at least once
that is the thing.
To have spent oneself in an explosion of color
to have offered one’s body for food,
one’s very soul for nourishment…
It is an unseemly generosity,
beauty of another kind.
In fall
the garden says, “This is my life, given for you.”
And we are fed.
©Ruth Haley Barton, 2012.
Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center. A teacher, spiritual director and retreat leader, she is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life including Pursuing God’s Will Together, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Sacred Rhythms, and Invitation to Solitude and Silence.
23 Responses to “Fall Garden”
Thank you Ruth. A beautiful poem that touches this gardener’s heart and enlarges my vision of our God, always at work in creation and salvation. I look forward to next Autumn and in the meantime will tune more carefully in to the voice of Spring here in South Gippsland, Victoria.
Lovely. Truth.
Beautiful. Reminds me of broken bread and poured out wine.
Thank you for this. “To have given one’s self fully / at least once / that is the thing.” There’s cost and criticism for this kind of “unseemly generosity.” Thank you for putting into words the nobility and … satisfaction of being spent in a life-giving endeavor.
Just the words I needed this morning, Ruth. Thank you. “Is this life or is this death? I cannot tell.” Exactly where I am right now – doing my best to embrace the death and the dark season surrounding it because I know that in the kingdom death makes way for new life.
So glad this came at the right time. The embracing you are talking about here is not easy. God bless and comfort your heart…
Ruth,
Lovely poem!!
Char
Ruth, this is beautiful. I’m going to share this with my mom and family. Thank you.
Ruth,
A gift of fall, turning one toward Heaven. What a fall morning blessing!
Cathy
“The Fall of my Mother” headed my journal this September as she did indeed fall from a stroke and has begun her “Fall” season. This poem describes her amazing spirit and life; what a godly, poured out woman she has been. God bless her “Fall” into his arms, in his time and his way.
Beautiful poem, Ruth! It captures the poignant beauty of sacrifice.
Blessings!
Such an eloquent tribute! God’s patterns surround us.
Thank you for this lovely poem.
Well crafted poem! A pleasure to read and re-read.
A beautiful picture of our own lives, lived out for Christ. It speaks very much to me of my wife’s life, who went to be with the Lord (too soon in my estimation, not His), a year ago Sept 24th, at age 58. Her life was indeed an ‘explosion of color’ as she offered all she had received from Him as ‘food and nourishment’ to others. She once said to me, ‘I can’t do anything but give all I have for Him’. She did. And is now fed from all He gave for her.
We don’t read enough poetry…thanks for the change of pace in your writing. It’s appreciated.
Sharing poetry feels more vulnerable. Thanks you for such deep and heartfelt encouragement one and all!
Ruth,
An absolutely beautiful expression of the seasons and their applications to us.
Thank you.
Do please note the misuse of “it’s” which is a frequent mistake not caught. Should be “its” without the apostrophe.
“I want to avert my eyes, avoid this tender grief.
Is this life or is this death? I cannot tell”
What a beautifully crafted poem! The observer’s question of the garden: “is this life or death?” captures well the thoughts, feelings and the perplexing experiences for those who seek to serve in the way of our Savior!
Yes, it does. The fall garden offers a strange comfort amid the complexities of our life (and deaths) in ministry.
Thank you for sharing and imparting a view from another place – the fall…it makes all the difference.
I read this poem while on a family “soul care” trip to the mountains. A brilliant fall day with a wonderful poem to remind me of Christ’s sacrifice. Thank you for sharing, Ruth!
[...] this week, I caught up on some of my RSS feeds. I came across Ruth Haley Bartons’ poem “Fall Garden” on the “Transforming Center” blog. Our family keeps a meager garden in our backyard every year. It is sad when we see the vines [...]