Friday, August 14, 2009

anger and sadness

Thursday morning my assistant says, "someone stumped on our zinnia." The only zinnia we got this year.

I head out into the drizzle and see much damage, but not death, then I notice the marigolds, the asters, the salvia, the ten sunflower leaves littered onto the ground.

the snapdragon a student had so wanted to plant, cared for all winter, finally convinced to risk putting it out into the world, trampled and tugged upon.

Four students and I weed and clean up the flower garden and we find more damage. The Cardinalis breaks my heart wide open. Cuttings from what turned out to be a perennial that lacked longevity. We got them rooted and kept them functioning all winter. Then just this week some red creeps out from the nearly closed buds. Every branch with a bud is on the ground, detached from the base of the plant. We speak of anger and sadness.

Today a staff comes by to say the angry student had once again visited my garden. A geranium planted by seed, one of the runts ... not like the ones that flowered and were sold... looked so funny when planted, bounced into fullness and bloom... has been ripped out of the ground.

I cut off most of the foliage and replant it into a pot.


driving home I am thinking of these plants and their stories when I think of what some friends have lost this year, husbands and sons. I try to imagine, again.


...

5 comments:

  1. This is so terribly sad. But since you mentioned it: thank God that he (?) turned his hurt outward rather than inward. I am so sorry for the destruction of the product of such loving work, but glad that you are the teacher involved.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He is not in my classes... I offered my time if he so desired to get to know the garden, but he is not ready for such actions.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So very sad. I am sorry for your students' disappointment and hurt, and for this young man, too.

    I hope you're feeling better, physically, cognitively, every which way, this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am lost for words, my friend. How sad that you should suffer the loss. How sad that someone should live with such anger within them...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Zorra--- am feeling better in many which ways

    Jim--- it is a sad thing... I am a bit nervous about the plants well being.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting Stratoz. I dig comments. Feel free to leave one here.