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  • Pruning
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Pruning

Jim C. Wilson

I dock the dead, the damaged and diseased;
the gnarled and dry come tumbling from the heights
until I stand knee-deep in bits, well-pleased
I’ve put a few square yards of world to rights.
I clip and crop, encouraging new growth.
My fingers start to ache but still I snap
my Homebase secateurs. I grin as both
the gleaming silver blades expose more sap.
I deftly make the kindest cuts, and take
the part of surgeon, Adam, God. But mend
myself, I cannot. No sharp shears will make
me sprout, or slow my geriatric trend.
So, wrinkling, stiffening, stooping, short of breath,
I spend my weekends saving plants from death.


Jim C. Wilson

from Paper Run (Mariscat, 2007)

Reproduced by permission of Jim C. Wilson.

Tags:

ageing gardening hobbies power and control the body tools wrinkles
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Jim C. Wilsonb.1948

Edinburgh-born poet and creative writing tutor Jim C. Wilson has for many years run the Poetry in Practice workshops at Edinburgh University.
More about Jim C. Wilson

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