One Touch of Nature Makes the Whole World Kin

For Sarah Higinbotham

Behind stone walls
There is a garden.
She tends and prunes
bare-handed,
open-hearted.
Standing in her shadow
Violets do not shrink,
Roses refuse to wilt.
The living words on her lips
Quench atrophied buds,
Never too far from daylight and
Closer to purpose
For sprouting from her hand.
She tells old stories full of magic,
whispering road maps
To dusty cracks in mortar.
Seedlings tendril through
New life dances out
Along the winds of space and time.
She teaches blossoms to color the world
With vibrancy and vibration.
When I am gone,
I hope I am remembered and reseeded
from the roots that were formed and fed
By the sunlight from her garden.

Janine Solursh Battista

I'm originally from Toronto, Ontario, but have lived in Georgia for most of my life. I work in the field of health and nutrition and I love running and being active in general. I also really enjoy preparing healthy meals, writing, singing, and spending time with my family and close friends. I work closely with Common Good Atlanta in many ways including as a board member, alumni, and on other special projects, as well as a monthly running and cycling club we have recently started. I look forward to continuing in my growth as a writer and finding joy in new ventures and passions as they are presented to me.

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