Having Faith

It's slow work, waking the drowsy
winter garden from the depth of
its lifeless rest. Frost penetrates
deep into fertile soil, freezing roots
of shrubs and perennials, hushing
the garden to its prolonged defense
of shrivelled existence, harbouring
a resolution to return at the earliest
possible opportunity. The summer
garden has forgotten its glory days
of texture, colour, form and fragrance
intimidated by winter's brutal ferocity
shrinking from fear of returning ice
storms and wild winds. The winter
garden, sterilized of life is nudged
aside when memory finally surfaces
in the dreaming sequence of a 
spring garden and renewal. By and
by the soil is released, roots recover
purpose and tentative shoots pierce
the surface soil to see for themselves
blue temperate skies and feel the
warming balm of the sun, the clear
cleansing fall of rain encouraging the
garden to renew its timeless faith.