Instant Gratification

Path of Life Garden, Windsor, Vermont / Photo by Deborah Lynch

It's a sunny Saturday in Vermont with a Farmers Market and Brewfest on the agenda. Weekends should be light, so I'm recycling a poem I wrote. Please feel free to give poetic advice and editing.Moss green mildew is blasted from the patio.Each high-pressured stream of water drawsa squiggly pattern on the brickslike a messy Etcha Sketch masterpiece. The entire cleaning process takes hours,but like a sip of a smooth Italian redor a passionate romp with a lover,satisfaction builds with each spray. Instant lottery, short-track races,online exams, Skyping,fast food, a hot shower.None have to be cultivated. They bring immediate rewards:A win, a loss, a pass, a fail.Face-to-face long-distance contact,empty calories, warmth and cleanliness. Will they satisfy us with time?Will they even be a memory?Next May, the moss green moldwill be back, only to be blasted again. Results are short-lived.Mold grows back.Hunger gnaws even more strongly.No pain, no gain. Tomorrow, we start anew.If it is to be sustainable,it will require time, commitment.Repetition, dedication and creativity. The pleasure will be multiplied.Our cup will runneth over.We will be able to embraceThe price of our persistence.