Poem by Marilyn Fishman

A Brief History of Agriculture

Once upon a time
in the long ago
plants and peoples
two legged, four legged, six legged, eight legged, no legs,
live in a harmony
of prey and predator
servicing each other
for life and
death.

Then
two legged peoples
with busy mouths
and grasping hands
begin to settle,
building cities,
enslaving
the land, the waters, the plants,
and the peoples
two legged, four legged, six legged, eight legged, no legs,
breaking the harmony
becoming predator to all.

But
now, some few two legged people
seeing that the world is burning
are planting trees
and gardening for life
inviting those others
four legged, six legged, eight legged, no legs,
restoring the harmony
yard by acre
rebuilding what was lost.
​
Click to hear the poet read the poem.

​After spending 40+ years in corporate information technology, Marilyn Fishman retired to focus on the important things in life: gardening, reading, knitting, listening to classical music, and learning to write poetry. She is a Rutgers Certified Master Gardener Burlington County, NJ who gardens for life having created a National Wildlife Certified Habitat.

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