HOW SALAD STARTS TO ARRIVE
Someone prepares the soil
compost, aeration,
vitamins for baby plants
someone plants the seeds
lettuce, pepper, tomato, radish, onion
whatever people want
Time passes
You can see the time-lapse film
sun goes down, moon comes up
sprouts come up and follow the light rotations
little leaves quiver, shake themselves open,
unfurl and pulse in larger and longer
bunchings of themselves
Baby plants grow
rain waters, sun coaxes
warm humidity encouraging
wonderfully monstrous growth spurts
vegetable nutrition from fecund soil
Hands come to collect lettuce leaves
turned over in the unique fingerprints, palms
soil shook loose
the resistance of clinging
rootedness
plucked
Bundles taken to middlepeople
or sold directly in farmer’s markets, farm shares
so pretty on the tables
We come with our french basket
and our bikes, a fair way to spend an evening
For cultivation
of delightful lives
this is one way salad
starts to arrive
~ Lady