Dawnings

Planting

By Nicholas Hooper

It was a serious business
Digging earth, placing roots, and pushing in compost.
Rain came
And helped the life stay in the plants
But they look dry and there’s no sign of growth.

I didn’t know what I was doing
And I still don’t, having no ambition to be a gardener till now
But what a wonder it is to see just one plant flower and thrive

Planting is like that
You plant and hope and even forget
And then, unexpectedly, life appears
A bud, a flower, some seeds, and growth
And all that untutored planting brings hope of a new creation.

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About Dawnings:
“Every morning at around 5am I get up and go down to my studio. After a short meditation I write down whatever is in my head, giving myself fifteen minutes to do so. Then moving over to the piano (or a more portable instrument like my Ukulele when I'm away), I improvise and record a piece of music inspired by whatever words I just wrote. It is a great way of keeping both my writing and my composing going and I call these small creations Dawnings. They are mostly unedited, like sketches, so that they keep that fresh feeling of an early morning discovery.”

— Nick Hooper