When Time Has Elapsed

Gold cherry

By skinner_jennifer

Tue, 17 Jun 2025
  • 862 reads
25 comments
 

Dear diary...

Now sitting quietly in my garden shed,

surrounded by implements once used

for flower beds; remembering how we

lived the dream,

 

that closeness shared with each and

every leaf and flower. Stained hands

mucky with soil, where worms were

welcome to toil.

 

Now! I too am working my way back,

returning to easier times from the past;

encouraged by younger self's resolve

to not let flora wither and perish.

 

If I could my older soul would again

break up earth, clutching at roots, not

fretting about the future, just working

with plants I loved to nurture.

 

But now I've found wisdom of a

different kind – spade, rake and fork

no longer lean against low brick wall.

I'm lost in thought,

 

aspirations...actively been replaced by

memories, pen, imagination and paper,

winding its way to times gone by,

breathing life into writing for future.

 

Linger awhile with mutual appetite for

those hidden delights, that surprise

even me each time I write; letting go

is all it takes.

 

My own photo: Remember young

Jenny It was back in1979, and the

first garden you ever created on

your own, moving into your new

home.

 

Sadly the house and garden don't

exist anymore. Four of the houses,

plus land were turned into car parks

with garages, with no more room to 

grow anymore.

 

Certificate U
Poem
Dear Diary
Nature
Love
Journal
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Enjoying the present mixed with the memories it stirs, and the pleasure of writing about some of them. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Rhiannon, I'm happy you read and enjoyed this poem. It's such a pleasure looking back and being able to share on abc tales.

Many thanks.

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I love that photo Jenny - and the memories which you've shared of those days. Are you going through an album of pictures? What a great idea to spark your imagination!

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi insert, it's a pleasure sharing these memories. Having such a kind comment from you means such a lot to me. Yes! You're right, I have been going through my old photos, they give me pleasure to recall, and certain photos do inspire poetry, like this one. 

Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts, which is very much appreciated.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Growing from her gardening roots, Jenny's wise and wonderful poem is Pick of the Day! Please do share if you can

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Good evening Di, It was such a wonderful surprise to receive pick of the day. I would love to be as fit as I once was, and enjoy gardening, but I have to leave the hard work to my partner now.

Being able to write is such a great healer and fills me with joy. Knowing I have abc tales to share my poems and stories is the best tonic I could ask for.

Thank you so much for those gold cherries and making my day.

Big smiles from me. smiley

Jenny.

 

Submitted by celticman on

lots of new seeds in this. 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Seeds of discovery! I hope..

Writing and reading is the best.

Many thanks for your comment Jack.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by marandina on

That's a poignant footnote - we all suffer from the ravages of time and the change it brings with it.

A reflective mix of past and present adrioitly done. 

Great stuff, Jenny :)

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Paul, I've got some great memories of that garden. We had an old air raid shelter at the bottom, I used to store all my garden stuff in there, it was like a small den. There were two parts each side of the path, one side was for flowers and grass, the otherside for vegetables. The earth was so easy to work with, and I never had to add compost. I recall growing perfect lettuce, carrots, runner beans and tomatoes, it was so rewarding ...it was sad when I had to leave it all behind, but looking back I'm glad I moved on, wouldn't have been happy having to sell, to make way for a carpark.

Many thanks for reading and your kind comment which is always appreciated.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by mark p on

I enjoyed this one with its looking back to the past from the present point of view.

I'm enjoying gardening in my retirement, which I didn't enjoy when I was young!

Maybe there's a poem in that for me.

Great stuff!

 

Submitted by mark p on

I enjoyed this one with its looking back to the past from the present point of view.

I'm enjoying gardening in my retirement, which I didn't enjoy when I was young!

Maybe there's a poem in that for me.

Great stuff!

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Mark,

you sound exactly like my partner, he didn't have much interest in the garden till he retired, now I can't keep him out of the garden, he's always pottering around doing one job or another.

I think you should write a poem, I'd be interested to read it.

Thank you for reading mine and your thoughts.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

This is so lovely, Jenny. It really struck a chord with me. I've never been much of a one for gardening - and now don't have a garden anyway - but the sentiment is so applicable to many aspects of life. I'm having one of those periods of writer's block at the moment, so it's very good to be reminded of the joy writing can bring, and that this is the reason we do it.

Thank you for posting.

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Ah! Bless you airyfairy, I'm very happy this poem was meaningful to you. I know what you mean about writers block, I suffer with it too. I don't think inspiration is easy for any writer.

I do like looking back. I think being young and having experiences is worth its weight in gold, because in later life it gives reason to capture those moments and write about them.

I'm glad you liked this poem and thank you so much for letting me know.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Jessiibear on

There’s such quiet beauty in this. It reads like composted memory—rich, layered, and full of life still stirring underneath. A lovely meditation on change, letting go, and how creation takes new forms.

 

Jess

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Jess,

I love your description of my poem:- 'It reads like a composted memory.'..that is so apt and a much valued comment. Living in the moment gives reason to look back at old photos and recapture them in words, it's something I have always valued.

Thank you so much for reading and your kind words, they mean a lot.

Jenny.

 

 

Submitted by Nolan on

I was never one really for gardening jenny, although i do love outside to a spacious green shady garden and a picnic!

It sounds very praactial though, to grow your own vegetables and green stuffs. Rather romantic, growing your own food and seeing it, basically does so by itself.

Fasinating, they've had people on the tv growing food on top of blocks of flats and high rises buildings, with gound on top of the roof.

It must be very therapeutic to potter around in the garden like that!

See you & Nolan

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

HI Nolan, back when I was younger and fitter, I believed that growing and eating your own food, you knew where it came from and that no chemicals were sprayed. It was hard work, but very rewarding to just pop out to the garden, instead of the shops.

Of course now, not being as fit as I once was, I too just enjoy sitting in the garden, especially in the shade, watching the different green leaves mingling as one, and listening to birdsong, maybe reading a book, or just contemplating. My partner does all the garden work, he enjoys remaining active.

That's fascinating about the people gardening on roofs of blocks of flats and high rise buildings...I say: "Good for them!" There's always a way if you look hard enough.

Thank you for your kind thoughts Nolan.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Nolan on

 if you look hard enough", Just So!

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thanks Nolan. yes

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

I like how, instead of feeling sad and mourning the loss of physical strength, you have simply transferred your time to something else, equally pleasurable and creative. A garden can be enjoyed simply by passively being in it or even seeing it from outside and the more ridiculously tidy gardening I have to do at work, the more I appreciate a bit of a mess with nature taking back control.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Life is so important to me Jane, being able to share how I feel with others on abc tales is such a pleasure, it's almost like there's a comforting connection, even though I can't physically see, or give a thank you hug to readers.

The garden that I had back in 79 and the garden I have now, are so different. Now I like the wildness of different green leaves and the touch of wood that gives me pleasure. Back then it was the beauty of colourful flowers that inspired me.

You are right about the messy garden, with nature taking back control, I see that now I'm older. I remember back in the early 90s, it was the in thing to create hanging baskets, which I loved to do. Couldn't imagine making them up anymore, with all the watering that's needed...how things change as we grow older.

Many thanks for taking the time to read and share your message of garden harmony.

Jenny.

 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Sitting in my shed and writing, I find, are the two great healers in life. I wish there was a light in my shed so that I could go there to write, thereby killing two earwigs with one stone.

I once read somewhere on the internet that getting soil on your hands has a good effect on your frame of mind as exposure to some of the bacteria it contains triggers the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that brings happiness and joy to the brain. During the dark days of winter, I try to do twenty or thirty minutes of garden pottering as it seems to help me deal with the SAD demons. I can appreciate that for mobility reasons this might be difficult for you but perhaps your partner could place a bucket of loam on your coffee table or beside your bed. On bags of ‘multi-use’ compost, I’ve always wondered what the other use is apart from growing plants. Perhaps they mean it’s good for sticking your hands in to cheer yourself up a bit. I wish they’d be a bit more specific.

Any road… shed, bed and your words well said… I really liked your poem. We can enjoy life without a shovel but we can’t live without a pen.

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Turlough, how about filling your shed with candle light...just a thought...mind you it could get a bit hot in summer...but toasty warm in winter. I love the silence of our shed, it's far enough away from the main houses to be a quiet space to concentrate. 

I had no idea about compost being so good for frame of mind, and its release of serotonin. That's fascinating and I'll have to give it a try...could have done with that last year when I was feeling so ill and down. I don't think it would be a good idea to have a bucket beside my bed though, could get very messy, especially if I stepped in the bucket in the dark while going for a pee in the night.

I can't imagine not being able to write, this I find is now what lifts my spirit. Like I said to Jane, having abc tales to share what I write is the greatest tonic going.

I'm sure you will find a way to deal with those demons, whether gardening or traveling...time is a great healer...I know that from last years experience.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read Turlough, and your thoughts which are always welcome.

Jenny.