Gladrackets

Verse 1

The wheelbarrow's rusting in the rain and the rain is not sorry the trowel I left out all winter long cracked its handle but held and the compost bin breathes when I lift the lid warm and alive and forgiven

Verse 2

The neighbour's kid rode across my seedlings said sorry with his whole face I almost thanked him so I did the clay pot that broke in March one half holding a dead root one half holding nothing both still useful

Chorus

What gladrackets us what in us rackets glad put your hands in the dirt and the dirt says next says next

Verse 3

The bee on my wrist was just resting its legs dusted yellow from somewhere important the fence post has leaned for years it's not falling it's tilting toward something I can't see yet the soil takes the peels and the stems and doesn't call it loss calls it next

Chorus

What gladrackets us what in us rackets glad put your hands in the dirt and the dirt says next says next

Bridge

And thank you the friend who is gone whose hat I found on the hook by the door where he left it the door he walked through every morning the hook that held his hat every evening thank you the hat thank you the hook thank you the door that held them before me

Verse 4

The fig that didn't ripen its hard green fist on the branch all summer I watched and waited and it stayed and staying was its offering the spider on the watering can rebuilt what I knocked down every morning without complaint without stopping

Outro

The garden doesn't know what it's doing just does it just puts out leaf after leaf after leaf after leaf