Itisspeculatedthatgardensarisefromabasicneedintheindividualswhomadethem:theneedforcreativeexpression.Thereisnodoubtthatgardensevidenceanimpossibleurgetocreate,express,fashion,andbeautifyandthatself-expressionisabasichumanurge;(46)Yetwhenonelooksatthephotographsofthegardencreatedbythehomeless,itstrikesonethat,foralltheirdiversityofstyles,thesegardensspeakosvariousotherfundamentalurges,beyondthatofdecorationandcreativeexpression.Oneoftheseurgeshadtodowithcreatingastateofpeaceinthemidstofturbulence,a“stillpointoftheturningworld,”toborrowaphrasefromT.S.Eliot.(47)Asacredplaceofpeace,howevercrudeitmaybe,isadistinctlyhumanneed,asopposedtoshelter,whichisadistinctlyanimalneed.Thisdistinctionissomuchsothatwherethelatterislacking,asitisfortheseunlikelygardens,thefoemerbecomesallthemoreurgent.Composureisastateofmindmadepossiblebythestructuringofone’srelationtoone’senvironment.(48)Thegardensofthehomelesswhichareineffecthomelessgardensintroducefromintoanurbanenvironmentwhereiteitherdidn’texistorwasnotdiscernibleassuch.Insodoingtheygivecomposuretoasegmentoftheinarticulateenvironmentinwhichtheytaketheirstand.Anotherurgeorneedthatthesegardensappeartorespondto,ortoarisefromissointrinsicthatwearebarelyeverconsciousofitsabidingclaimsonus.Whenwearedeprivedofgreen,ofplants,oftrees,(49)mostofusgiveintoademoralizationofspiritwhichweusuallyblameonsomepsychologicalconditions,untilonedaywefindourselvesingardenandfeeltheexpressionvanishasifbymagic.InmostofthehomelessgardensofNewYorkCitytheactualcultivationofplantsisunfeasible,yetevensothecompositionsoftenseemtorepresentattemptstocallarrangementofmaterials,aninstitutionofcolors,smallpoolofwater,andafrequentpresenceofpetalsorleavesaswellasofstuffedanimals.Ondisplayherearevariousfantasyelementswhosereference,atsomebasiclevel,seemstobethenaturalworld.(50)Itisthisimplicitorexplicitreferencetonaturethatfullyjustifiestheuseofwordgardenthoughina“liberated”sense,todescribethesesyntheticconstructions.ItwasonlyafterIstartedtowriteaweeklycolumna...
