A Pirate Gardener's Jolly Roger

Inspiration for an unusual poem

This hub was inspired by my daughter. One day, when pursuing some moments in the sun and fresh air, she walked out our back door and onto our back deck. She crouched down beside my potted herbs, where my gardening tools lay, and gathered them together to arrange into a 3-dimensional sculpture. The picture below is her interpretation of the "jolly roger" symbol often flown from pirate ships during the golden age of sailing vessels. From my daughter's creation I was inspired to take a photo and write a poem to go with it.

The Video

Both the picture and the poem inspired me to write this hub. The poem is centered around the theme of a lady pirate who keeps a garden outside her cottage by the sea. When she is not leading a crew at sea, she is a gardener and an artist.

This poem tells a story in verse. The video that introduces the hub is one of my daughter re-constructing my "gardener's jolly roger."

Enjoy!

I am Captain of my Garden

I am a pirate captain and gardener.

I wield a hand rake and trowel.

My gardens sparkle whene'er I tend to them

By the ocean I possess great power.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

Weeds Walk the Plank

Whenever those scurvy weeds show their faces,

I get down on my knees and tug.

They are history when I haul out my hand rake;.

Upon the compost pile they'll wither and bake.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

Scurvy Pests Bow Their Heads before Me

Mugwort and dandelions are the most odious villains,

They carry a heavy price on their heads.

They wither when they hear my footsteps fall

And cower for mercy as I approach my garden beds.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

Bugs

Next to parasite critters of every color,

Japanese Beetles hang for their impudence.

They languish in jars of soapy water,

Beside the squash bugs that eat my unripe abundance.

They walk the plank to Davy Jones' Locker.

Their days will be ended by pining away

In a barren deserted island's shady cave.

Only lady bugs fair fly high and brave,

For they eat the others for lunch each day.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

Hope for the Wayfarer

I hoist my gardener's jolly roger

My colors I proudly fly!

My banner is my patch of bright sunflowers

Smiling at seafarers as my cottage they pass by.

Voyagers take heart to see my garden's colors,

They know that soon they will sit by a feast.

Fruits and vegetables of every stripe

Will be set before them to merrily drink and eat.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

I plant what I like and I like what I plant;

My hands bring magic to the earth.

A cornucopia of food to feast on

I offer friends of sea and turf.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

Invitation

I am the pirate gardener.

I fly my colors, my jolly roger.

Beside my seaside garden beds,

When those scurvy weeds their graves have been shown,

I cast my bottle upon the waters

Calling my friends and family home.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.

When my gardening work is done each year,

I paint pictures for those who have no seaside garden paradise.

I recreate the scene outside my windows

For them to hang on their parlor wall.

Then I play my flute by the crackling fire

so my friends and family will dance and sing.

Creating beauty and food for my crew,

By the ocean I possess great power.