The Garden Where I Plant My Grief

I like the title.

I think that your poem is rather wonderfully written. Your use of enjambment between the first and second stanza was particularly interesting (considering how all other stanzas are a single contained idea), as well as your choice to have the last stanza be only two lines instead of three.

If you want feedback (though it’s not necessary, your poem is great as-is), focus more on the aspect of planting the very idea of grief and watching it grow later through figurative language or imagery. Otherwise, I have no other suggestions.

This reminds me a lot of “Digging” by Seamus Heaney. Very well done! The imagery is wonderful, and I really enjoyed just how much there was to pick apart. My only complaint would be with the line breaks. (I understand however that Reddit sometime messes them up so if that’s the case then I rescind my critique) Keep up the good work!

I love it! The title fits well and the imagery is strong.

In particular I really enjoyed the stanza starting with "I will cover them with dirt." Wonderful mix of imagery and reverence.

SUGGESTIONS

1. I don't understand the phrase "diminished by a thumb." Is the thumb missing? Is "thumb" a unit of measurement? You need a clearer word than "dimished" here.

2. The weakest stanza for me is the one starting with "Time is a broken promise" Unlike the rest of the poem, there isn't much imagery in here and is mostly abstract thought. A more figurative way of showing the broken time promise would help (like inheriting a broken grandfather clock)

3. I understand why the first half of the poem is past tense, but the second half of the poem would be more powerful in the present tense rather than the future tense.

4. Why did the speaker bury a jar of blackberry jam? That's not mentioned earlier so it's not clear what significance it has. Perhaps she should plant a rose instead?

5. The line "A single rose, now red with life." stuck out as unusual to me, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because it's not clear whether the speaker is pulling out the rose with the rest of the vegetables.

Great poem, keep it up!

beautiful writing. the reader can really feel the passage of time as the poem progresses. it has the effect of that "time warp" of grief.
i also love how as the garden grows, you do too. it seems like you cultivated your pain and developed a newfound appreciation for life and what your grandmother contributed to the world
the last stanza being two lines is really nice as well. it feels like you're forging ahead into a new phase of your life, no longer following the three-line structure of the past period of time the poem covers. it feels like you're celebrating and incorporating your grandmother while still reflecting on her absence
lmk if this actually makes sense or not lol

I'm not sure whether to take this poem literally or if its a bunch of symbolism, but I enjoy the theme of gardens. My grandmother also worked in the garden a lot and it reminds me much of her. Good read.

The poem is very touching. I hope everything is well. I don’t know why, but a title I thought of is “the garden called grief, and the fruit called hope”

"In June, I will pull from the earth

tomatoes, squash, and snap beans.

A single rose, now red with life."

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This should be the end of the poem IMO, and I'll tell you why. The redness of the rose is a clear color. The last two lines are sentiments and conclusions which you are reaching, but I think they are far better off being kept in your heart. I want the final thing in this poem to not be an idea, but a crystal-clear image of exactly what a garden is building towards.

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I do not know if I like "the water them with salt from my cheeks line". It feels like you really just wanted to say "water them with my tears" but ended up with a line reminiscent of Rome salting the fields of Carthage. Kidding, obviously, but I do think the rest of the poem want you to search elsewhere for what waters the garden. That said, I couldn't feign to even tell you for one second what it could possibly be. Every other line feels so deeply personal and intimate in detail, but that one just doesn't quite stray far enough from the familiar "watering with tears" idea.

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But what do I know, I was about to start watering my keyboard with tears while reading this. Absolutely gorgeous. A triumph.

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I’m not a poet but I really enjoyed the part about the blackberry jam. You’ll always remember the sweetness of your grandmother though that.

Oh no where did this go?!

this is epic but it needs a bit more pizazz for my tatses. srsly good job tho bravo