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Dru Philippou

Step by Step

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.
—Robert Louis Stevenson

As spring draws near, I toss thousands of wildflower seeds over an acre of sandy, high desert to create a meadow, but the rains don’t come readily this year. Only about one in ten germinates. Yet bit by bit, volunteers appear. Rosettes of ground-hugging, red-stemmed filaree. Spindly plants tipping subtle perfumes deep into summer. The soft orange of globe mallow. Ants, craving nectar, climb the dizzying heights of sunflowers. Grateful for each growth, I begin to trust in things unfolding. 

an old gate
bound by a trailing vine—
silvery pods
unfurl their mystery
as I pass through

I leave 
an armful of flowers
at my neighbor’s door—
in the warm rain
a single bud opens

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About the Author

Dru Philippou was born on the island of Cyprus, raised in London, and currently lives in northern New Mexico, where hiking in the high desert wilderness around her home nourishes both her spirit and her writing.