PotatOde

The 2nd in a series of poems about vegetable growing in my garden.  Enjoy!
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PotatOde

I’m growing potatoes it’s ever so sweet
They grow underground and taste good to eat

They take up much space as the plant it abounds
You pile up dirt over the tubers in mounds

The plants grow wild, a darkish green color
Purple and white comes the small gentle flower

I am forced to choose between beauty and function
Do I remove the flowers at this early junction?

Doing so now would hurt the aesthetic
But might make the harvest less pathetic

If I am lucky the plants last a while
And potatoes abound throughout the pile

The plants that die early, I now eat their fruit
White, red and purple potatoes as loot

And while I assert these spuds hold great appeal
I quickly tire out potatoes at every meal

So to the potato in all incarnations
And to the people of all different nations

Who eat the potato, fried, baked or boiled
And to the farmer who has worked hard and toiled

To bring us our sustenance, carbohydrates and all
To hold us through winter, spring, summer and fall

With thanks to my soil, the sun and the rain
The cycle will continue and all start again

For the potato itself is a full seed
With everything a new potato might need

To start a new plant and give off new spuds
Which we will enjoy with (veggie) burgers and suds

Reflections on a Snow Pea

Reflections on a Snow Pea

Green, flat, with a little elf hat
Crispy, sweet, great to eat

I wanted a snow pea, I planted a seed
It grew past the radishes, carrots and weeds

It reached to the sky, up my stakes and trellis
My neighbors looked on, boy were they jealous

It gave a white flower, then a small pea
Which reached out from its blanket for something to see.

The pea grew quite quickly, we’ve had lots of sun
It’s time for the harvest, where we’ll reap a ton

One as a tester and one to confirm
One for my strength and one to affirm

I love snow peas, so crispy and sweet
There really is nothing better than fresh snow peas to eat

But how many have I harvested? Four, five or six
I’ve been so busy eating, my basket depicts

My love for this vegetable, fresh and in season
I eat them with passion beyond any reason

My thanks to the Source that created this all
A system that works from winter to fall

To feed a small planet, 7 billion humans alone
Imagine how many seeds must be sown.

We continue the harvest, the basket and me
Till all that was left on the plant I could see

Was small little pea pods not ready to pick
I’ll be back tomorrow, these things sure grow quick!

As quickly as they come, the last pea will be eaten
And I will be harvesting what’s new and in season

So here’s to the snow pea, today’s ample crop
And to the fine Earth which operates nonstop

To keep us well fed, healthy and happy
As long as we don’t treat her so crappy

With toxins, destruction and climate emissions stacking
Ongoing expansion of drilling and fracking

I could go on, but you’ve all heard that story
It’s an ongoing challenge and it’s really quite gory


So it’s a wonder that with all this destruction
My back yard is a place of ample production

Of beautiful green, crispy, elf hatted fruit
And I can eat dinner without having to pollute!