Haiku, tea and wishes

Some youngsters might be uninspired on a rainy day. But the kids in the Durham Public Schools summer program who visited Duke Gardens yesterday drew poetic inspiration from the Gardens and the rain.

Here's some of what they wrote:

"Lost," by Malisha
I get lost in the garden of Duke
trying to find my way out
of the rain

"Flowers," by Porsche
The flowers blossom
like the peeling of a banana
that you might like

"Puddle," by Denisha
I see a big puddle
like it would overflow;
the leaves are soaking wet

"Bamboo." by Trevon
Bamboo is a weird name
does it go bam
or does it go boo?

"Trees," by Sybil
So rich with all the rings
nice brown tone
making a home is easy for you

"Pergola," by Morgan
As I stand under a roof
Made of leaves
There is a stone, dedicated

"Thunder," by Faith
The lions
roar
in the sky

"Way in the Rain," by Ms. Katrina
Water without light
shiny, slippery leaves
hikers trying to find their way

The youngsters also learned about native plants and their importance to human culture and N.C. history through a “Native Tales" program in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants and explored ‘Culture through Design’ in the W.L. Culberson Asiatic Arboretum.

And they participated in a traditional Japanese Tea Gathering, enjoying tea and sweets in a bamboo grove of the Asiatic Arboretum.



They also celebrated Tanabata, or Star Festival, writing wishes on colorful papers and hanging them on bamboo branches. We can't tell you what their wishes were, but we hope they come true.