(R: Dear Eden, how are you? I know it’s been a while, but I’m going to be in town this weekend, and I was hoping to see you. can we meet somewhere? E: Dear Rose, you flaming trash heap of a sister. no word from you for over a year, and you just appear and demand an audience? R: Dear Eden, nice to hear from you again too! how does coffee on Sunday morning sound? E: Dear Rose, you’re lucky I have a heart of gold. I can be there at 11. R: Dear Eden, see you then!) (E: So, um. What brings you back into town? R: Actually, I’ve been looking all over for this book we had called “In My Garden.” You didn’t hang onto it somehow, did you? E: “In My Garden?” What are you talking about?) R: At bedtime for years, mom would read us this story of a girl who lived all on her own She played everyday in a magical garden full of flowers and trees that she’d grown I memorized all of the plants in her garden Before mom stopped reading each night You may not remember a lot of the flowers E: (Please don’t tell me you’re about to—) R: so I’ll list out a few that you might Violets, daisies, lilacs, lilies Hyacinths, azaleas Roses—her favorite kind of seed E: (Oh, really.) R: and at the end mom, without fail E [sarcastically]: ‘cause mom would NEVER fail us R: would read (the following passage out loud:) In my garden, dreams come true There’s nothing here that I can’t do Every day brings new delight In my garden, the future is bright (E: Rose, I love you, but why do you always do this? R: Do what? E: You came here looking for a picture book? Don’t you have things to take care of at school? R: I just thought— E: Did you think? Do you ever think? Hey, you have a good memory—) E: Do you remember those rose-patterned sneakers you wore every day at age nine? When it rained, you refused to wear actual rain boots ‘cause you loved things with floral designs? You got sick after splashing through too many puddles The pneumonia gave us a scare I sat by your bedside and waited and waited All the time that our mom wasn’t there It’s exhausting, you’re still lost in Your imagination I can’t protect you every day! R: But if you could have a garden, E: (Oh, sweet mother of creation.) E: Acting in praxis will always take some some R: What would you say? Practice, I get that it’s inexact and If you could have it Taxing but better than basking in cac- Your way, any -tuses, I mean actually, what are you Way, what would you Asking me? Life is not a Say? Fairy tale where clouds are cottony, What would you Woes forgotten in a litany of Say? What would you Botany! But you keep going Say? What would you On, and on, and will you ever Say? Stop!? R: (Okay.) E: (Oh, twist my arm.) I’d say In my garden, troubles melt You’ll leave behind the pain you’ve felt The sun will rise and you’ll be free In my garden, you’ll be safe here with me (R: Yes! What else? E: Really, Rose? I was hoping we could actually catch up, not brainstorm fantasy homes like a couple of twelve-year-olds. R: The fantasy is what makes it fun, dummy! Come on, you could have anything, live anywhere. What would it be like? E: What will it take for you to just give this up?) R: Picture in your mind a house in the woods E: (No.) R: (By a lake?) E: (No!) R: (On a hill?) E: (Oh my god.) R: Picture in your mind a house on a hill The clouds change shape But time stands still Standing in the doorway You gaze at the sky Your hair drifts back As a breeze blows by The halo of the sun Would light up the skies And you’d sleep as it sets and the moon gently closes your eyes E: Rose, you can’t keep dreaming R: (Hey,) what’s and acting on a dime, wrong with dreaming? ‘Cause you can’t drown out the voices saying Can’t you hear the future screaming “Once upon a time!” “Once upon a time?” It’s hard to leave the memories Which one of us is drowning? That are closest to your heart Which one of us is stuck? And I know this book is one of them There’s a book you should read that shows But you have to make a start with Dreaming doesn’t suck, called “In My Garden!” “In My Garden!” R: I guess I like dreaming of paradise gardens ‘Cause real life isn’t as fair Only you’ve ever helped me when I’ve been in trouble And I know you can’t always be there E: I get that a life with a half-absent family Is the only one we’ve ever known But I hope you don’t feel like the girl in her garden ‘Cause you don’t have to struggle alone R: I’m afraid! E: And That’s okay! Rose, Life is never easy. But trust me, together we’ll be strong R: And I guess the real garden E: (No, too cheesy.) R: Was inside us all along! (E: Oh my god.) (R: C’mon, Eden!) R & E: In our garden, we won’t hide Two friends and siblings side by side We won’t give up when life goes wrong! In our garden we’ll sing a song that goes La [x36] (R: Hey Eden? E: Yeah? R: Thanks for the coffee. And… for everything. E: Don’t mention it.)