In the Garden Shed
      after Sweet Pea by Carmen Drake Gordon

by Paulette Demers Turco

Cold crystals cover every step outside this space.
This shed is warm and dry, a safe abandoned place

where I can curl for months inside this tipped clay pot,
nestle in a bed of leaves—though not a lot,

enough to keep me warm throughout the coldest night.
I’ll be safe from brooms and snouts and wings. All right!

I’ll topple down that packet of my favorite seeds—
sweet peas—from the giant pot, to serve my needs

for handy snacks and camouflage to shield my scent.
If my elaborate plan succeeds, when winter’s spent

come Spring, I’ll wake up, wriggle through that oak-wood crack,
find my lovely mate to join me. Circle back.

She can choose which pot we’ll use to nest our brood,
but first, the sunflower seeds will set a perfect mood.



 

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