We have a slice of prairie in front
Farmland restored to natural state
A meadow, our driveway’s open gate
Path markers invite me to wander in
Invitation easily forgotten
with everything else that needs to be done
On the meadow’s
summer canvas
Alas Canada Thistle —
an unwelcome guest
scourge of the Midwest
deemed a noxious pest
Most likely brought to this country
by settlers long ago
Its seeds mixed inadvertently
with seeds they meant to sow
These thistle flowers have to go
always a chore in the meadow
Bold purple accents here and there
placed as if with an artist’s care
This year, now that the chore is done
I am accepting the invitation
with regret for not accepting sooner
How easily small things glide by
the small things which really matter
Time is just a meandering stream
as I trace my way through the meadow
Cares recede like an ebbing tide
as butterflies dance in the summer sun
How quickly my heart returns the smile
of a nodding yellow bloom
To wander its paths is balm for my soul
Where they may lead I never know
David Radford is a retired college professor who loves gardening and the great outdoors. Creative writing has been a welcome change from the technical writing his career demanded.