Back to the Garden challenge

Author's note:

"When I first listened to the song, my first thought was, 'This is for the Night Garden?' So I listened to it again. I kept hearing about the vegetables pushing up to the light. What creature most associated with the Light would visit a garden at night?"

Pest Control

by Katilou Curry

Thursday:

Damn! Deer had been in the garden.

I took a closer look. There was only one set of hooves. A bit deeper than most deer tracks I’d seen, but not deep enough to have been from a feral hog. Guess I’ll have to gather the girls’ hair into some old nylons and hang a few bags of it around the garden. It’s supposed to keep deer away, and it’s certainly cheap enough to try.

Tuesday:

Author's note:

"I was trying to think of something about a garden, simplicity, and transcending stubborn circumstances. I thought of my Great Aunt Lottie (who was married to a chef named Bubba but that is too much to be believed for one story, so I changed it to a farmer named Luke). I live in Georgia, so clay can be a problem. Last week or so I was cleaning the dust out of my computer disk drive and I thought...this is NOT dust...its clay! So that part comes from the everyday battle here with clay. I was going to do something a little more Biblical, but sometimes there just isn't much Biblical in my creative self."

Lottie, the Clay, and the Cow

by Jill Albright

Author's note:

"Even though the song is about a vegetable revolution, the thought of all those greens together put me in mind of a farmer's market, or a kitchen garden, where every product is fresh and alive and full of goodness. Flavours are intense, textures are perfect, and all I want to do is make up recipes. Cooking is a creative act, and a nurturing one. It is also a way of healing. I've never been a gardener, but my impression is that it is all those things, too."

Garden Pie

by Anabel Portillo

The earth was warm and fragrant in her garden, a cushy bed for the treasures it produced. They always seemed so comfortable, baby carrots nestled in it, and soft brown potatoes and fresh pink radishes.

Sometimes, Liss felt like curling up on the ground for a nap herself, just like the cat liked to do.

Abandon Not Joy

by Sally Koetsveld

Dark, but secure this tunnel,
No leafy spies here.
Children run in joyous abandon.
No talk of crawling.
No fear of daylight.
No. Dark. Dark, and womb-like.
Sanctuary.
Safe.

© 2011

Author's note:

"I've been playing with different stories and art forms in response to 'Back To The Garden', and nothing felt right.

This poem erupted as I thought about children trying to live in a world where running and playing was forbidden, and daylight seemed to bring danger."

Return to the Challenge Page

THIS CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED. Your generous donations this round helped us raise $130 for Great Lakes Bengal Rescue. The signed CD copy of Against the Night goes to Nathalie Boisard-Beudin. Congratulations Nathalie, and many thanks to all the artists and generous folks who helped to support this effort!

Join our chain of inspiration, and support Great Lakes Bengal Rescue! Jason Webley offers his song "Back to the Garden" from Against the Night for your interpretive delectation.