The Gentle Gardener

I'd like to leave but daffodils

to mark my little way,

To leave but tulips red and white

behind me as I stray;

I'd like to pass away from earth

and feel I'd left behind

But roses and forget-me-nots

for all who come to find.

I'd like to sow the barren spots

with all the flowers of earth,

To leave a path where those who come

should find but gentle mirth;

And when at last I'm called upon

to join the heavenly throng

I'd like to feel along my way

I'd left no sign of wrong.

And yet the cares are many

and the hours of toil are few;

There is not time enough on earth

for all I'd like to do;

But, having lived and having toiled,

I'd like the world to find

Some little touch of beauty

that my soul had left behind.

— Edgar A. Guest
From the book "Collected Verse of Edgar A. Guest", 1934

Photo by Dan Hardison
Biltmore House Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina

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