Ode for a Gardener

We should use lilies as currency,
Carry them in pouches on our backs, their ruffled
Petals surrounding our heads in
Crowns of pink and purple
We could trade their happy faces for asparagus 
And translucent green onions for a spring salad,
Or for dresses made of spider webs and fern.
Lilies bloomed round my grandfather’s house,
His hands securing lilies to stakes also
Secured my place in his life,
His love of the earth a pattern for my own gardening
Bliss, the care for his flowers a currency
Spent on love, his time exchanged for years
Of yielding growth and beauty,
And memories with unending value.

With thanks to artist John Phandal Law and Paul from The Wombwell Rainbow for this prompt.