A woman sets out to pull bindweed from among her cabbages, peas, borage, arugula, potatoes, and raspberries. She gets sidetracked by thistles because they come up more easily, works for an hour, then lowers herself into a cracked resin chair, out of breath. Two goldfinches squabble on a mossy fence post, and she simply watches. The closing line, “What is not said in six syllables is silence,” seems to point to the poem’s own compressed six-syllable lines and to the quiet that follows small effort. The mood is wry, unhurried, and a little tired but not unhappy. There is no big revelation—just an ordinary afternoon of gardening, distraction, rest, and birdwatching, with the unspoken left to settle into silence.
Sixes — Summary
She went to fight bindweed among cabbages, peas, borage, arugula,
potatoes, raspberries and such. Distracted by thistles, as they are more
easily removed, she worked an hour, then eased ponderously into
her cracked resin chair, out of breath, watching two goldfinches having it out
on a mossy fence post. What is not said in six syllables is silence.