Growing Gardens for Palestine: Seeds of hope and connection

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Seeds of hope and connection

I saw a Golden Eagle tonight- at least we think that is what it was. We were out looking at another, smaller hawk in our neighbor's tree and the eagle swept past, low and close, mainly gliding... Glorious- huge. My oldest son noticed it first. When the eagle glided out of view we looked in our bird book and sure enough- a Golden Eagle.

hawk in our neighbor's tree

And so as the sun sets this eve before Easter I looked online to see where the Golden Eagle might be found, and was delighted to discover that Golden Eagles flies all throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A Golden Eagle might even be glimpsed even in the Middle East- including Palestine.

What an interesting day this has been...We had snow early this morning here in central Pennsylvania. A fast flurry of spring snow.

A few hours after the snow melted away and the day warmed up my husband got busy planting the cold weather crop in our vegetable garden- lettuce mainly. He mixed sand in the soil so it will drain better. And then he carefully planted the seeds. Amazing really how a tiny seed can be carried far, then planted in the perfect place and the precious speck stirs and opens itself to grow.

In growing a private, personal garden for Palestine touch the earth, and marvel at what nature and nurture can do, out of nothing it seems, after this long dreary winter. Our seasons teach us patience- and hope- and surprise, as well as serendipity. Spring comes again, no matter what. And one never really knows for sure what might grow where.

But goodness can be found everywhere- if only you look.

Made in Palestine

I am from There

I come from there and remember,
I was born like everyone is borne, I have a mother
and a house with many windows,
I have brothers, friends and a prison.
I have a wave that sea-gulls snatched away.
I have a view of my own and an extra blade of grass.
I have a moon past the peak of words.
I have the godsent food of birds and olive tree beyond the ken of time.
I have traversed the land before swords turned bodies into banquets.
I come from there. I return the sky to its mother when for its mother the
sky cries, and I weep for a returning cloud to know me.
I have learned the words of blood-stained courts in order to break the rules.
I have learned and dismantled all the words to construct a single one:
Home

Mahmoud Darwish

And in growing a public Garden for Palestine, today I can not help but think of hope- and all the many ways Palestinian artists through out the years have used their time and talent to plant seeds of hope everywhere they can. I suspect the first person they want to please or provoke is only their own self as they work to draw out what they think and feel and believe with all that they might be- but we all benefit from their efforts, and their memories... and their expertise.