Vegetable Garden and the City

In a small triangle of sunny dirt, in early February of this leap year, I began for the first time to grow sustenance.

There’s a tomato vine, spinach, broccoli, arugula, cabbage, onions, and butter lettuce. I water every few days as I come and go. Now, for two weeks I have been harvesting for salads and sandwiches.

I can’t quit paying the grocer just yet. But everything starts somewhere.

I don’t own the land, I rent it. Like all of us.

I didn’t make the plants, so I can’t take credit for the food. All I did was help. Just like we do with everything, or not.

Studying political theory, I encounter men telling us how we should all live. I don’t know of any philosopher that said each individual should learn to grow his own sustenance.

I’m not so sure about shoulds.

But I’m not sure we shouldn’t.