I used to live in a lush garden,
Rich with tradition and custom.
It was a sublime home,
but now it has withered.
Foreigners arrived one day,
They needed a place to stay.
The strangers intrigued me,
So I let them move into my fields.
They filled the space immediately,
And began to spill into my garden.
Their encroachment knew no bounds,
So we met amongst the sacred stones.
It was there that they betrayed me,
And cast me out of my home.
I have lived on the outskirts ever since.
The strangers now own everything.
It is my own fault they say,
Heredity and bizarre customs are to blame.
I traveled the world in search of a new home,
But on each continent, the strangers greeted me.
I’ve come back to my old home now,
Looking for the spot where my garden once flourished.
For years I searched, to no avail.
I thought it was lost forever.
When I finally gave up,
My garden appeared.
I have lived there ever since.
by Cody McCullough
Photo by Elizabeth McCullough
Cody McCullough Writes: 
A sad and wonderful poem. It reminds me of how I felt when the suburb was built near my house
Lily
I know the feeling. Growing up there was an undeveloped area behind our house. Soon, though, that area became a housing subdivision. I still remember seeing deer behind our house from the kitchen window. Now, there is another house in that same location.
Sigh at least there’s still a little buffer around my house. But I hear kids and dogs instead of birds
are you sure you’re nor Jewish? 0 :^{)}
I figured that “the sacred stones” and “garden” might throw people off. “The sacred stones” are an allusion to Stonehenge, and in many ways the garden is meant to represent nature itself. Of course, I also wanted to leave this poem open enough that it could be read other ways as well…
This is a very fascinating poem, leaving the reader want to ask a range of questions about possible meanings. It feels at once specific and general, and that is part of the intrigue. It appears lamenting, yet ends more positively, even seemingly to surprise the narrator – and yet the tone makes us question whether this too is a truly a seeming…
Nice. 🙂
Thank you for understanding what I was going for.
Great read Cody! It does allow for many levels of reading and interpretation, always a wonderful discovery to make in any poem.
Truthfully, each time I read this poem it has a different meaning for me. That’s coming from the man who wrote it. In the days ahead, I have a few more poems that fall into this same category. I hope you like them as well.
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Beuatifully penned, Cody ⭐ All the best to you!~ Aquileana 😀
I do like this poem. I’m glad that you like it too. Thank you for your comment. It made me feel warm on a cold rainy day.
You are most welcome dear Cody ⭐ Stay warm…. Aquileana 🙂