The Gardener

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He rakes the soil and picks off stubborn weeds
and lays a cane across the flower bed.
Pressing down, he makes a shallow drill
and waters where the seeds will soon be spread.

He picks the seeds his kids had bought for him
and spaces them with care along the line.
He stops a while to try and catch his breath,
then slowly stands and marks the row with twine. 

His clothes hang loose from his cachetic frame;
the doctors say the cancer has now spread.
He’s sowing plants he will not live to see,
as are we all.

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