Aysha Bowens – 843? zine – The Garden

Aug 26, 2021

“The Garden”

By: Aysha Bowens

🌼🌼🌼

while tending my garden, i see its potential

where the soil dried up, even though there was no sun

in the shadows of working through my past

i envision others finding solace in my garden one day

 

i hope they find peace 

as they walk by the lilac 

that will attract butterflies

reminding them

there will always be a beauty in the process 

yet you may not always see it, as you can’t see your own wings

only a glimpse

 

i hope they find focus

as they walk on mint 

releasing its’ relaxing yet eye opening scent

reminding them

there are moments that you will need to stop and smell the “mint”

to look up or even down at times to appreciate being present in time

even when you feel like you must hustle 48/14 to accomplish half as much

 

i hope when they find uncertainty

as they pass by snow in summer 

they remember that we can not order every step we take 

to remind them

that there is a purpose in no purpose at all

that the impossible can be possible

but only if you see it true 

 

when i leave my garden

i hope the roses that once grew out of concrete

that stuck me with its thorns 

become the start of a beautiful blossom 

 

of a person that will see the work i’ve put into our roots

as a way to tend to their own garden

more importantly to find and be their own self. 

🌼🌼🌼

This poem is a creation of Aysha Bowens in collaboration with 843? (the question mark is silent) a Charleston based zine that aims to explore topics and issues that affect the Charleston area and beyond. Check out the zine this piece appears in here:

https://www.connecktedtoo.org/2021/08/26/843-how-does-knowledge-education-relate-to-generational-wealth/