Theodore Roethke wrote this poem that echoes the writing of Shunryu Suzuki, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Thomas Merton. Frequently, I forget the need for weeds. They add to the richness of the garden I call my life. Roethke said it so eloquently: “These shape the creature that is I”. The good and the not-so-good of life help shape me.
Today, I talked with students about a need for resiliency, so when we run into those bumps along the road of life or find weeds in life’s garden, we realize they are there to make us a fuller and richer person. Often, when I look back, I see the beauty of something that I felt was harmful when it happened. Perhaps, I was just not ready for what I thought I wanted, needed to be patient, and wait my turn. Or I was not ready to fully understand what needed to learn and needed to mature.
Long live the weeds that overwhelm
My narrow vegetable realm!–
The bitter rock, the barren soil
That force the son of man to toil;
All things unholy, marked by curse,
The ugly of the universe.
The rough, the wicked, the wild
That keep the spirit undefiled.
With these I match my wit
And earn the right to stand or sit,
Hope, look, create, or drink and die:
These shape the creature that is I.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
Teacher as Transformer 
Love the post and verse, Ivon.
Thank you Vicki.
Yes, I definitely see a resemblance to Merton. And perhaps Wendell Berry as well.
Thanks for sharing this.
Yes, it has that earthy feel to it and Wendell Berry would write like that. You are welcome Tony.
Very, heartfully, succincfully and artfully said. I know there are a lot of ‘fulls’ in there but its 1:25 in the morning AM , I should be excused. Nice piece, really.>KB
KB, sometimes we need a lot of fulls. They might remind us of the fullness of life.
Reblogged this on The Arkside of Thought | Poetry, Politics, Philosophy, Life and commented:
Long Live the Weeds, my friends. What I took? Stay strong. Which makes me wonder something: why do we dislike weeds, anyhow? Don’t weeds have as much right to live as anything else? Just a passing thought.
My poor wild flowers!!! everyone call them weeds when the weeds are the plants that grow in a place you don’t want them….
I love the post and the poem… 🙂
Eva, we used to pick dandelions when we were children and my mom and grandmother made such a show of putting them in a vase for the table. As parents, Kathy and I did the same for the boys. People eat them and make wine so in some worlds they are not a weed. In others, they are. It is all a perspective and I think weeds are necessary.
Weeds are flowers too. This is a line from one of my songs. I will post it soon. Warmly, Tasha
I look forward to it Tasha.
Weeds are a subjective judgement, all plants are beautiful creations.
I identify with what you say. The challenges in hindsight often are useful in shaping who we become.
Thank you for a wonderful comment Alex. I agree with the challenges helping to shape us and sometimes they were not challenges, but opportunities waiting to be identified.