Tiny cream flowers littered the garden floor in anticipation —
ackee will here soon — that delicious fruit that brings death if not prepared well. Monkeys never touch them —
they knew their limits and good cooks they were not. She walks slowly, savouring the sights and the smells,
gathering herbs for her salad.
Basil, bright green, delicious — queen of pesto, star of that show,
waving their slim limbs in the strong October wind.
Summer savory — struggling to survive, fighting to space between the turmeric and yam.
Sprigs of oregano, garlic chives and rosemary — her basket was full, her heart was fuller. A few leaves of spinach for iron they say, she needed an iron heart these days — so much trouble.
She almost forgot, dandelion — a must in any pot.
Photo by Elite Inception on Unsplash — ackee fruits
And then they got her — the big ones, the dark one, the hungry swarm of climate change believers,
they understood the emergency — the urgency, there was not enough water for them to survive and thrive.
And bring their share of zika, chikungunya, dengue and malaria.
Photo by Syed Ali on Unsplash -Mosquito
She had to run, she wore no protection.
Grabbing her spoils, she left what was until now
her safe space, her quiet space.
But the rains were here, so were the weeds and worms and
mosquitoes in drones.
Understanding the cycle of it all, the need for the ying with the yang —
the suffering for the completion,
She blessed them and left them, they had dominion.
© I. Trudie Palmer
One Love