16 Summer 2014 Applegater
FEATURED ADVERTISER
Poetry Corner
Each issue, the Applegater features one of our valued advertisers. Here is the story of Johnson
Builders, another long-time advertiser.
Johnson Builders
The Gardener
by Joan Peterson
You walk into a garden looking
for last year’s imperfect beds of annuals
the ones you encircled with wood shavings
and leaves, bordered by sweet woodruff.
All you find is a sea of miner’s lettuce
and rye grass. Everything overgrown is draped
in a blanket of green. No trails to follow
no sparkling blossoms reaching out to be plucked
into bouquets. You want to be a gardener
but you are a dreamer.
All winter you read books
on landscaping and cottage gardens.
You turn pages of perfect pathways
carefully constructed mounds of violets
and black-eyed Susans, beds of bright red tulips
and white narcissus. You picture your garden
as one of these pages: trapezoids
of natural grasses, a riverbed of stones
and boulders, bird baths and gazebos
placed in perfect harmony.
Today you walk into the garden
where the dogs have dug up the lavender
and the rhododendron buds are burned
with frost. In a corner, a wheelbarrow
is posed with a few limp tulips peering over
the sides. Straggly grapevines sprawl along
the fence and the compost is the focal point
from every perspective. Time is running out.
You have a small window to work in, transform
this plot of tangled weeds into paradise. Listen.
You hear a peacock calling from the trees.
“Help,” she screams, “help.” It’s already spring.
Ed. Note: Joan Peterson has recently published a
book of poems, Looking for a Place to Write, through
Wellstone Press, 2014 (wellstonepress.com).
“Building…for your future”
Johnson Builders is your local Cleary
Building distributor and has been in the
valley for over 10 years providing superior
building at affordable prices. All buildings
are 100 percent customized for your needs
and wants. They specialize in garages,
shops, barns, arenas, and outbuildings
of all kinds in residential, commercial,
industrial, equine, and farm areas.
All buildings come with a lifetime
warranty against chalking, fading and
rust on steel; a 50-year warranty on
treated columns; and a five-year roof-leak
protection.
Johnson Builders is located at 1300
Rogue River Highway in Grants Pass. If
you have any questions, feel free to stop in
and chat, or call 541-479-1465. Also check
out information on this website: http://
oregonbuildings.com.