Garden of Change

By Tatyanna Wills & Kate Marienthal

In heaven, two virtues think about what the future holds for them both.

In an empty garden Diligence sits and thinks
The flowers bloom the birds sing, but to her that doesn’t change a thing
It’s lonely but hopeful, beautiful but quiet
And if some else in heaven cared to join her 
She definitely would not have minded it 

Things have changed since she was brought here
And she wonders how things will change when she leaves
Her heart may still desire to carry on, but she knows this is a role she cannot keep
The sun starts to rise, and as the rays warm her face
She quickly realizes that one day it won’t be her sitting in this place

But who will it be? 
Could it be Chastity?
No she’s far too young
Could it be Humility? 
No she wouldn’t last in a world where everyone is so high-strung
Or could it be another Diligence? 
A younger bright-eyed version of her
She must stop thinking about this, her head was starting to hurt

New to this place Chastity sits and thinks 
She wonders how she will live up to the expectations 
It is clear that Diligence has an icy hold on this world 
She sees it as her kingdom
And while she wasn’t expecting a warm embrace
She wonders if she’ll be willing to share her wisdom

She feels the bed beneath her, it’s soft to the touch
Slowly she stands and moves through the room
As she explores she tries not to assume too much 
She feels the smooth surface of glossed wood
And when she lifts her fingers they are coated with dust
This space has been long uninhabited
So she moves slowly as she knows she must

As she wanders she wonders if she is the chosen one
She digs deep into herself, and decides what must be done 
She will go and meet Diligence 
To prove her worth
She will make it known 
That she could have a hand over earth

Still Diligence marvels at this place
And how dramatically it has improved 
She thinks back longingly on all of the lives she has moved
And wonders what it will mean to begin to say goodbye 
To loosen her grip means allowing her companions to grasp on tighter
Acknowledging the power she holds while letting it slip away from her
Knowing that she will no longer be the only history writer

She worries she will not be able to pardon her companions’ absence so far 
And doubts their ability to maintain what she has built
But alas she tries focusing on what their strengths are 
And realizes that without her, heaven will not wilt 

As she ponders this decision, it is Chastity who comes to mind
While she is young, she does seem to be kind 
And she is so concerned with minding her virtue
She would need certainly to be nurtured

Chastity moves into the hallway, which is warm as always
Heaven was a paradise after all
She hears the conversations of the others 
Even so she avoids their call
For what is Chastity if not lonely 
What is the use of being a virtue
If she doesn’t follow her role perfectly
And what is she worth if she isn’t holy

The garden is close now
She senses it all completely 
As she approaches the door
She starts to wonder, was the leader thing really meant to be?
Out of all the virtues, would the one who ends up leading really be me? 
She moves her hand to knock, but hesitates
No, she brushes her thoughts aside, this was most definitely the right time and place
She reaches out, takes a deep breath and enters the room
With a smile on her face

Diligence looks up 
Chastity is finally here, a smile slowly spreads across her face
Of course she was here
This was the perfect time and place
Her eyes gaze upon the blind girl
She looks nervous, even afraid
Therefore she invites the girl to sit with her
And teaches her how to influence the world

While Diligence should’ve been the one to make the first move 
She is happy that it is not something she needed to prove 
It is clear Chastity is brave, eager to learn and ready to pave her way 
After all Diligence no longer has the option of doing this alone 
And for the first time she feels ready to dive into the unknown

Process

Tatyanna (mentee) began with the idea to write a story about the Seven Sins and Virtues. From there we spent several sessions brainstorming different character elements. We quickly realized that writing about all fourteen Sins and Virtues would be too much to tackle in one piece, so we settled on two of our favorite Virtues. We wanted to tackle their relationship with each other and the world around them with creative liberty, so we determined a narrative poem would be the best format. From there we went back and forth writing stanzas, melding and editing them together so that they worked as one voice.