"The Beautiful Garden," Richard F. Berkhoudt

The Beautiful Garden

By: Richard F. Berkhoudt

In the garden of my mind I rest for hours.

A kaleidoscope of thoughts and pretty flowers,

Accompanied by song of feathered friends,

Bring wishes that the day might never end.

First light of morn in radiant hue,

Falls on my footprints in the dew.

Behold, I muse, a familiar story-

Of spider webs in morning glories.

The zenith of the sun most high

At midday fills the summer sky.

Illuminates, as a painting framed,

Pert daisies, roses bloom un-named.

Afternoon’s glowing warmth does nourish.

Garden, grass and hedge all flourish

In dazzling array, a sight to behold,-

Some tones delicate, others most bold.

But the fairest flower among all these

Standing in the twilight breeze, is my beloved holding sway,

Mid posies tended through the day.

Her gentle hands bring forth this beauty,

Pursued as pleasure, not as duty.

By cruel misfortune were I rendered blind,

I could still seek haven--- in the garden of my mind.

(2013 Poetry Contest 3rd Honorable Mention, Lucas County)