Bernadette Geyer

Nurturing a garden or a writing practice is not about quick results. For both, I have come to understand that I must commit myself for the long run. I may have to wait months to know whether what I have done will benefit the plant or poem. I tend a balcony garden in which I try – and often fail – to convince various plants and trees to thrive. Gardening has taught me patience and humility. It has also taught me to understand my own limitations. To accept seasons and cycles. Not every plant will thrive in a pot. Not every flower can withstand neglect and bounce back time after time. Not every subject wants to be part of a poem. Not every working title will stick with the story until it’s published. I’ve learned to test what types of plants and writing work for me and my life in that moment, to acknowledge when an experiment is not achieving what I wanted it to accomplish, and to always approach the empty vessel of the pot or the page with an optimistic and curious mind.