Text:

​

o land!

o land!

​

we coax small seeds

from rich dark earth

​

she kindles the corn

from green husk to gold

he sets new stalks

twisting skyward

 

they put down roots

where we rooted stand

 

together we walk
the rows and rows
our muddy hands
like tendrils intertwined

 

our land!
our land!
we hold each other’s

dusty hands

​

the garden

—our garden—

nourishes

flourishes

feeds us:
at sundown
we sit down

and eat

-Anna Leader

 

​

I find Anna Leader's lovely poem about a community tending its garden to be a beautiful reflection on the importance of long-term diligence (in bearing fruits, so to speak) and the power of "walking together". Only the combination of the two can turn "green husk" into "gold".

​

Anna wrote this poem specifically for musical purposes, which is perhaps why her natural analogy is so apt. Like a garden, a choir provides sustenance for its members and audiences; at the culminating concert, the two come together to sit down and share their feast.

​