24 May 2026
A letter found in an old archive. Written on parchment...signed at the end.
I write on this parchment
For the children of tomorrow
To tell you
About my first perfect evening
I did not feel I was empty
Only that I needed
To be filled
So many wondrous things
To know and see
Everything was new
Even me
I never questioned
My deep need
Why I felt a foreigner
Or my instinct --to be a gardener
A million voices
Carried upon the breezes
Seemed to say
We were waiting for you
Magnolia she was first
To teach me
As the sun rose
She opened her face
As if to say child
The heart of perfection
Like yours will begin
When you let warmth in
She was the first to reach out
To this empty man
That pre-Adamite bloom waiting
A hundred million years
To tutor me
While Magnolia sleeps
When lovely evening comes
I kneel to give praise
For all I have learned
My sweet Magnolia
I wish you could see
The coming Evening
Father said watch son
At the setting of the sun
You will be the first to witness --
A perfect EVE
Mom and I wish
To say we love you
Pressed within these pages
Is a Magnolia flower
As offspring of gardeners
You will know what to do
I write on this parchment
For the children of tomorrow
To tell you
About our first
Perfect Evening
Adam.
© 2026 John Osinga. All rights reserved. St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
