Much is Given
I had a thought about planting tomatoes.
I would plant romas.
I like their shape.
They make me feel useful
with a knife--their consistent
resistance to my blade.
I’ve been reading about nature all winter.
Though I’m not in the mood
maybe I will find some seeds
and press them in soil
in an unbleached egg carton.
They would command me then.
Not my entire life, but hours of it.
When they sprout, and many would,
they would insist I find sunny ground.
Then after suns and rains
when fruit follows flower
I would obey and eat them.
I came across this
on harvesting seeds.
It seems straightforward.
Choose a tomato.
Slice through her equator.
Cup one half in your palm and squeeze
the red pulp into a glass.
On a sunny sill let the slippery mess ferment.
After a couple of weeks
spread the seeds on wax paper
under the sun. If you don’t
plant them all, they make
great holiday gifts.