04/23/2026
In honor of Earth Day, I’m sharing my new poem and a little about it.
I’ve never been a plant person until recently. I killed every one I touched-succulents included. I hated the outdoors, I never touched a flower bed, and I convinced myself that I could never be a “plant mom” because I “wasn’t good at it.” After all, I’d been convinced for so long that I wasn’t good at a lot of things.
Then, a couple of years ago, I decided to buy a tiny succulent from the farmers market on my birthday. It was a gift to myself, and a reminder that I can do hard things, in a time when I felt alone and powerless. I poured so much hope into that succulent. I didn’t have much love left in me so, hope was all I had. But that must’ve been enough because that tiny succulent eventually thrived and produced multiple others for me. I was so proud of how far I’d come.
And then, I was right back where I started. The same negative environment, the same negative partner, and my mental health began to suffer again-as did my succulents. They all died. I convinced myself, yet again, that I was just not meant to be a plant person.
Well, this past August I decided to give plants another shot. I needed to feel like I could survive enough to keep my plants alive.
For anyone that doesn’t know, winter is HARD on plants and I was wholly unprepared and swiftly delivered all of my plants to the brink of death. But they didn’t die! I researched and asked for advice from the wonderful Jesca at Odd Flora, I bought a grow light, I repotted some dying plants, and each day checked in to see if any of them would make it. I whispered over them, begged them not to die, and eventually I started seeing tiny sprouts and new leaves! I’m still learning and I’ve had my share of failures but, I now know that it wasn’t that I wasn’t a good “plant mom…” it was just that I wasn’t in an environment where I could grow.
Whisper love and light into yourselves friends-you need it to grow!
“The Little Plant”
The little plant did struggle,
To rise up and prosper so.
No water or sun or soil,
Could make the plant to grow.
It’s leaves began to suffer,
To turn brown and droop too low,
Its roots they turned to rotting,
No life was left to show.
One day a voice did whisper,
Little plant before you go,
Listen to these words of mine,
I’ll say them oh so slow.
I love you my little plant.
I love to see you glow.
I love to see you prosper,
To see your leaves to blow.
It’s been too long since I have,
To you my thoughts bestowed.
That’s a shame and much too sad,
Because I know, I know,
You have it in you to thrive,
If only I’d said so.
Something in the little plant,
Did spark, now look below:
The roots grow thick and stronger,
The leaves’ve perked up and lo,
The little plant that struggled,
Is now the plant that grows.
