Garden

There is a backyard
Behind my best friend's house
That is a small piece
Of Paradise
To me. 
Rose bushes bloom
In a joyful shout
Of reds and pinks and whites. 
The neighbor's mulberry tree 
Provides shade in the early morning, 
And partially covers the rose trellis
Of the blue and yellow macaw. 
The wind blows;
Chimes ring,
Grass sways,
And bees hum lazily
Through the marigolds. 
The songs of the wild birds
Mingle with the "whooo" of the African gray,
And the call of the gold-capped conure. 
We grill and eat outside,
Alternating between the 
Umbrella's shade
And the sun's glorious rays. 
I could sit here for hours,
Thanking the Creator
For this miniature Eden,
This echo of Paradise
Before it was lost
That will one day
Be restored to us all...