The Gardener of Eden

by James Broughton


Original Language English

I am the old dreamer who never sleeps
I am timekeeper of the timeless dance
I preserve the long rhythms of the earth
and fertilize the rounds of desire

In my evergreen arboretum
I raise flowering hopes for the world
I plant seeds of perennial affection
and wait for their passionate bloom

Would you welcome that sight if you saw it?
Revalue the view you have lost?
Could you wake to the innocent morning
and follow the risks of your heart?

Every day I grow a dream in my garden
where the beds are laid out for love
When will you come to embrace it
and join in the joy of the dance?

-- from Packing Up for Paradise: Selected Poems 1946-1996, by James Broughton

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Recommended Books: James Broughton

Little Sermons of the Big Joy: Poems Packing Up for Paradise: Selected Poems 1946-1996 All: A James Broughton Reader The Films of James Broughton: DVD



The Gardener of Eden