Luciel Rairigh, my great, great, great aunt, appears to have loved writing poetry. Having only one small box of her mementos and writings, I can only piece together the little bits of her that I have: She was clever. She was beautiful. She was organized, and she loved to write.
Each poem had both a rough draft and final copy included in the small box. It was fascinating to see her process- picking and choosing her words to suit her meaning. It’s a reminder to creators that first drafts often aren’t good enough- so keep refining!
One Small Garden: Rough Draft
One Small Garden Rough Draft Page One
One Small Garden Rough Draft Page 2
One Small Garden Rough Draft Page 3
 It’s unfortunate that I don’t have the dates for all of these poems, but I can estimate the early 1900s based on her lifespan. It’s clear that she took her work very seriously based on the amount of effort she made to proofread and perfect her writing. It is also clear through her works that she had a love and devotion to God.
One Small Garden: Final Draft Transcript
Each heart is one small garden
With many plants growing there,
God is the master gardener;
But we must assist in it’s care.
The flowers of kindness and love,
Of purity, forgiveness, and prayer,
Are the ones the Master has planted
And helps us watch over with care.
When weeds grow in this garden
He helps us to pull them out:
Not only those grown large and tall,
But even each tiny sprout.
The unkind look, the impatient word,
Yes, these are the tiny seeds —
Greed, deciet, and selfishness:
They are the ugly weeds.
Then how about these plants, we ask
Surely they are not wanted here?
There’s sorrow, disappointment, and heartache,
And here’s one burden and tear.
But He sighed as He answered sadly,
Ah, yes, we must leave a few there,
They keep the soil soft and fertile
For all of these flowers so fair.
 One Small Garden: Final Draft Original
One Small Garden Final Draft Page One
One Small Garden Final Draft Page Two
The final draft is beautifully written. The fact that I can clearly read and transcribe it after over 100 years was especially enjoyable.
I have a few more poems to share at a later date, so if you enjoyed this one, please check back in from time to time to read more about and from Luciel.
Luciel Rairigh’s “One Small Garden” Luciel Rairigh, my great, great, great aunt, appears to have loved writing poetry. Having only one small box of…
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