Elsy tells us about a woman – perhaps any woman – who plants a secret in the garden and soul. The garden blooms. An evocative poem for Different Truths.

She planted a secret in her garden
and one in her soul too.

The secret in the garden
bloomed into golden marigolds,
and stood beaming,
with bouquets raised to the skies.

Bees buzzed around,
breeze bustled about,
beetles hovered over
and birds warbled along.

The season and the garden
warmed into every heart.

The secret in her soul,
the seed of a carving ailment,
lay buried quite quiet.

Slowly it started sprouting,
not showing up to any.

She smiled with the marigolds
as if to let them know
that their mesmerising charm
will keep her from harm.

And robust hope, did thwart
the germinating ailment,
keeping it down and out,
to a ripe old age!

She gleaned from her garden,
hope is life,
life is hope.

Picture design Anumita Roy

Elsy Satheesan

Elsy Satheesan is a retired Professor of English. She had been teaching in colleges under the Govt. of Kerala, India. Currently, she resides in Virginia, USA. ‘Random Musings’ is her first volume of poems. ‘Summer Snow’, is the forthcoming one. Her poems have been published in national and international anthologies. Short stories in Malayalam have been published in weekly and fortnightly, in Kerala. Humanity is her religion, and poetry, her passion.

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