I Remember

This is a response to a prompt at Max Regan's writing class on Memoir. I wrote it after smelling a jar of herbs.

I remember...
an herb garden at our farm
thyme, oregano, all kinds of mint
planted in clumps with sloping sides to the ground

Martha spent hours making it just so
She worked and worked

consultations with everyone
blistering sun
not enough water
Most of the plants died.
Chickens ate the rest of them.

Now the garden is dormant,
Past its prime
like so many of us
waiting
for love to till the soil again.