"The Things We Grow"
By Allie Schaefer '10
I don't know where life will lead me
But I'm glad I've found my way here.
With the wind and the sun and sometimes, the rain,
I can feel the child within me-
The girl who played in fields and forests and mud.
Carefree and happy, she was a part of nature.
Here, I can be that girl again.
When I plant a seed in the earth,
When I help build a greenhouse,
When my hands become calloused and dirty-
I unite with the earth to help create something
And to help sustain life.
Here, on the farm,
I have found peace and happiness.
I continue to grow like the plants we care for.
Wherever life may lead me next,
I will always have a home here
And a part of my heart.
Here, on the farm,
I have discovered so much about myself.
I have learned that I must integrate
My childhood self with my adult one, and
That I can appreciate and contribute
To the beauty of nature.
Amidst a big grey barn, a humid greenhouse,
A noisy tractor, budding beds, bleating sheep,
The most loveable black-and-white farm dog,
And good friends-
I connect better to myself and to the world
When I'm at the farm.