4/11/2011
avocado pit
sends its taproot straight and deep
we all reach for home
My Small One is happily tending to an avocado pit in a jam jar on the kitchen counter.
This is a process that requires patience —
weeks for the root to break through and sink down into the water,
more time for the brown casing on the pit to slough off.
And the plant itself hasn’t even started yet.
And still.
She changes the water and reads the instructions we found online.
She mulls over whether she’ll transfer it into a pot or into the ground.
She calls it by name — Ava.
It is a living thing, emerging in front of our eyes.
And things like that are worth the wait.
An avocado by any other name…
She could have called it Otto-cado. After her friend and schoolmate.
tanita says:
She reminds me of my sister with her chicken, called Henessey…
I loved my avocado tree; I miss it. It was just a wee twig when I left. Four years later, it’s not much heavier, but someday, SOMEDAY, we’ll get avocados!!
I’ve done those avacado pits. They take a loooong time! But so worth the wait & beautiful. Best of luck to your small one’s project. Love the haiku!