growing us a garden

As I sputtered 'round aimlessly in hopes that I might catch my stride once more, I realized what tripped me up.
I was running as a child from flower to flower, plant to plant, my knees were dirtied, and carrots as orange as orange juice filled my arms, tomatoes that could literally be thrown as grenades filled my brothers arms, and my cousins just sat there like hawks or parrots ready to squawk at any moment in which my neighbor would come out only to disbelieve what he saw.
I had picked and ruined his garden.
I was about 6 or 7.

That day will forever stick in my mind as the day I had ruined someone's harvest.
He was ticked.
While washing the fruits and vegetables I hadn't had the slightest clue he had found out so soon.
I had just turned around from washing my hands that were oh so pitifully contained and displayed my guilt.

He was an old guy, probably in his late 70's.
When he yelled his veins popped out, as if you were watching a 3-D movie. yeah, just like that.
I had never been so traumatized in my life before that.

I hung my head low as I handed over what I thought I had gotten away with.
I was sent to my room, as I sat in disbelief, I couldn't help but to peer out the window into my neighbors yard.
He was standing tall like the Eiffel Tower, with his hands on his hips. He was mumbling something to himself, I couldn't read lips at the time.
But I bet you anything that man was in more pain than I was.
He kneeled down to attempt to re-plant the flowers and plants that we'd dug up.
Come to think of it, it looked as if a tornado came by and whirled it's 100 mph winds in his garden and left only but the clumps of soil that had once contained the beautiful stemming buds of flowers and ripe vegetables.

In all my days of living at that house, I had not seen or spoken to that man since.

And it seems in my life, I have ruined many gardens.
Gardens that may have displayed one's passion, one's hopes and dreams.
I have planted many gardens myself.
But, it seems easier to tear them apart than to build them up.
The only thing that I can wrap my head around now, is the fact that I want to keep m garden alive.
I want to help others plant gardens,
I want to see their flowers and vegetables grow.
I want to see others display passion, and hopes towards their own gardens.

Maybe one day, You and I could grow a garden in which there's so much abundance, that we don't need to worry about young kids (such as myself) or clumsy people, or ravens and gophers tearing up our garden.

I hope that day comes soon.

What the hell did I just write?


Cheers