Stephen Kampa, “Watering the Garden (Till It Bursts into Flame)”
While some poems originate in incident and others in image, this poem arose from a musical motif that guided me forward (impatiens, portions), backward (patience, potions, passionâs), and then beyond as I explored other musical themes and variations (plots, spots, touch-me-nots; ârung to hear her wring haranguesâ; âwedded blissâ and âweeds that blaze,â âforagesâ and âfor agesâ). Listening to that music, I found myself writing a vignette about one of those homely, undersung virtues, which in addition to patience could include chastity, temperance, or humility. They are such painfully unsexy traits! Yet I believe that steadfast kindness, even in something as simple as sharing a little neighborly gardening, can invite grand passion, one that generates enough heat to be worth the wait. For that kind of passion, perhaps it helps to have a little magicâa secret potionâand all the better if that potion should be patience, finally getting its due (here in the poem if nowhere else) as not merely a sexy potion, but the sexiest. (Stephen Kampa) — Watering the Garden (Till It Bursts …