Yesterday I replanted a pansy in a public garden.
It had been dug out intentionally, I think,
though I can’t imagine why.
The plant was just sitting in the middle
of the sidewalk next to the flowerbed,
an empty hole where it had been.
So I stopped and put it back,
patting the soil and mulch around it again.
And now even though my farmhouse
floods whenever it rains,
I am happy that a storm is coming
tomorrow to help those roots grow.
This was written as part of National Poetry Writing Month 2021, sparked by the NaPoWriMo prompt for April 6 to write a poem inspired by a short line from a book I loved; I chose the line “Look after them moonflowers behind the church for my Hettie,” from Deacon King Kong by James McBride.