mint should never be driven
to grow taller than corn stalks. still,
here it is, flowering higher than my forehead
and wide-leaved, still tasting of mint
though my neighbors call it yerba buena
& tell me to make tea, or bathe in it
because there is medicine mixed in the leaves.
mystical or not, i dry the plant carefully
& without heat, hung upside-down
to save the volatile oils
my skin carries casually from bruised stems
i should call stalks.
next to the mint, the sage seems small
though it is more bush than plant. i use it for chicken
or pesto, or burning. all herbs
grow impossibly tall in this valley, as if
they are fed milk at the full moon. but they
aren’t–they grow tall in black glacier gravel soil
threaded with leaf mold–spelled simply by
gardening rituals of planting and hoping.
if there is mystery in herb growing
it is for me a series of moments;
the peace of planting,
the needling work of tending, or
satisfaction pressed into
frozen or dried preservation.
the names soothe with music that is spoken, or hummed
by bees visiting lemon balm, also called melissa for
whom it draws, and the other herbs: rosemary,
basil, chervil, several thymes, dill, chives, parsley;
each name with a scent & memory etched just so
deep in the brain, unforgotten.
***at Dverse today, we are talking about solitude–the quiet moments in life, so I decided to write about my herbs/therapy :). Hope you join us over there today!
English: A can of peppermint infusion. Deutsch: Eine Kanne Pfefferminztee von frischen Blättern. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Susan Daniels Poetry 
How wonderful! If ours reaches 12 inches we’re lucky! 🙂
Oh, my–I need to send you a cutting 😉 I hesitate to think how tall it would grow somewhere really, really warm/humid–western NY is really a chilly place to be, usually!
Mmmm, mint. I could almost taste your poem Susan, it was so vivid.
Thanks, Trent. I have always thought mint smells waay better than it tastes (not that I dislike that taste, at all!).
Try it in vietnamese soup if you haven’t already. It is by far the best use of mint I have ever known. That and your poem of course.
Oh–thank you, trent–you are so very kind to say to. Mint in viet soup–yummy!
I loved this Susan..what a delight in every way..
Thanks, Mimi 😉
I wish I could send some to all of you, I have that much…
Wow..but you did share it with us..;-)
🙂
Made me think of that line in the song, “Scarborough Fair”…. “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme”… which would be a fitting soundtrack….
hee, hee. yes–and they are all in there–just not in order 😉
I love how scent fills this poem–with meaning and memory. Very calming and stirring. Enjoyed it much. Thank you.
oh, thank you, Yousei!
Yes, the gentle patience and rhythms of the gardener and nature permeated the poem. Lovely and soothing.
Thanks, Anna!
I had no idea mint could grow as tall as corn. Amazing! I know most herbs do have some type of medicinal, healing or other purposes as well as cooking too. Yours sound really lovely. What has always fascinated me is, how did the first peoples ever discover what they could or, couldn’t eat because it would poison them. I guess it was who dares and doesn’t die, it’s okay. All fascinating, really. Loved this!
Thanks much–ohhh, imagine the trial and error! Eek.
there is def something to the planting for me that is spiritual and even solitude…entering ones hands into the dirt, you are together with nature but alone in yourself…and cool on your break down of those moments in planting…and the waiting too can be so alone as you wait….i like….
Brian–thanks. Definitely is my alone time 😉
This is beautiful. I think working with herbs or plants of any kind is the most beautiful kind of solitude. Your poem expresses well this love. My favorite herb is basil (also one of my dog’s names – LOL); and I am sad as the season is almost finished and I will have to rely on store-bought basil soon. You mentioned mint. I used to make a lot of toboule. Today not so much; but your mention of mint tweaked my memory…and I should make it again! A nice write, Susan.
Mary, thank you! I do love my basil…sigh. Going to miss it soon!
Mint is so the coolness of a quiet desert night
oh, that is a great phrase.
oh i do the same thing… when i am way too agitated to do anything else, i go out a dig a little. the smell of the herbs and earth mixed… miracle cure.
thank you for your wonderful words
awesome–thank you! it is great therapy.
all herbs
grow impossibly tall in this valley, as if
they are fed milk at the full moon….love this…love herbs…i make tea from mint leaves – never used them in a bath though…i should def. try this..
oh, you should–really like it–better if you make the leaves into an infusion first though 😉
Glad you liked!
I can see how gardening can be some a tension tamer… and all those wonderful scents so pleasing to the nose.
yes! 🙂 my fav therapy…
Yes, Dana–it really is!
So many of us find peace outside. Funny that I almost used mint in a piece today.
That’s too cool, Laurie!
Every year my herb garden gets a little bigger, because of this peace and the gift of fragrance and taste it gives with so little effort. Your poem captures those feelings that drift up from the earth, into plants and into us, perfectly. Loved this Susan.
Oh, thanking you so much–love the way you phrased that…
Hmmm, ya got me interested in growing herbs. Any good sites for beginners?
Hey, Sabio–sure–gardenweb is wonderful! The best part about herb-growing is most of them were weeds to begin with, and they require very little attention from us to thrive 😉
I looked it up Garden Web — but where do I find out about growing herbs? Herbs sound something I could even grow without killing ! 🙂
oh, yes, you could. They are what initially cured my black thumb…here you go–ask these guys anything–they will tell you!
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/herbs/
“black thumb” — great expression. Thank you for the link.
I made that up for myself after I almost failed my botany lab, due to killing my experiment 3 times in a row. All I had to do was germinate seeds 😉
This is nice Susan! We use raw mint to flavor hot spicy ‘soupy’ noodles.. Sometimes one just picks off leaf by leaf and munch with rice as a ‘salad’. There’s that special flavor! Nicely!
Hank
Yum! I do love to put it in salads. I wil try it in a spicy noodle soup too. Great idea!
So industrious! And cool descriptions of mint…
Thanks, Nelle 😉
well over 6 feet…
I have some in my backyard ~excellent for stomach aches and cramps! Wonderful poem!
It is so yummy!
straight up very good and i see it for it’s metaphor as to words emerging out of from around the castle.
Thanks, much, Don!
I’m with Trent on this one…I can smell the mint, taste it and I can feel that furry leaf between my fingers. Herb therapy indeed. We should listen more to that which we so easily pluck from the ground. Great SFAM
Aw, thanks, Rhonda. Six-foot-tall mint. Sigh. Wish I could send you some…
me too. is this a green food that aryn enjoys? perhaps?
Well, he ate the mint sorbet I made earlier, in the summer 😉
Oh well, no little guy can pass up a freshly made frozen treat like that! Now I want some. Damn, that sounds good.
mmm–me too!
me hears the voice of gardening – appealing and engaging!
Yes–my green, growing down time. Sigh. Going to miss it soon…
a wonderful feeling to this poem, Susan ~ i swear i can smell the mint!
♥
Thanks, Dani–six-foot tall mint does throw a scent 😉
All gardeners ought to read this as it speaks to the souls of those who dig in the dirt, no matter what they plant and nurture..
oh, Katy–thank you! It is very much my escape…well, and escape where I am fully present.
this is such a delightful read……..
thank you!
I like your herb therapy. And the words underlining it. It’s healthy to have a nose for these things. *Smiles*
Thank youi, Adura 😉
Very vivid
🙂 thanks, C!
Herbal delight…
Oh, thanks so much, Lindy!