Dream versus reality

catalogs wait
late winter day
pencils, paper
spread upon a table

bright color pages
luscious vegetables
seductive flowers
the dream begins

order forms complete
payment enclosed
what a wondrous garden

seeds arrive
potting soil
small containers
seeds nestled in

tiny green life surfaces
gasping for light-food-air

days warm-soil responds
accepting the nurtured plants
blossoms form
flowers-vegetables mature

a reality

slugs gnaw on greens
worms sample tomatoes
beetles feed on succulents
crippling winds
tear leaves-snap stems

there is always next year