Of course a poet-in-residence would have a poetic job description. Here's John's take on the experience:
'A year in the life of a garden
Is what I would like it to be.
Observations and thoughts
Of a year at The Courts
Recorded in words by, yes, me!
I got the idea in November.
When I passed they were closing the gate.
I thought “visitors gone
Now they’re free to get on
With the jobs that have all had to wait.”
Now there’s time for reflection, debriefing,
What went well, what didn’t, no lack
Of opinions to hear,
And ideas for next year,
What to take out and what to put back.
It’s the secret life of the garden
I’d really like to explore:
What the public don’t see
Is what fascinates me
As much as the plants, maybe more!
The cutting, the sticking the pruning,
The sowing, the weeding, the crack,
The looking around,
The preparing the ground
For the moment the public come back.
It’s like taking an engine to pieces,
Or dismantling a house brick by brick.
Time to stand and to stare
And find out what goes where,
Till I find out just what makes it tick.'
- John Bond