Invasive

We once tended the garden of my thoughts.

Gently planted seeds for only the boldest of plants,

lest they be too weak to take root.

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We were oblivious to how invasive they would become.

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Now, I find myself on my knees

covered in silt, spade in hand,

as I try my damnedest to dig them out.

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Every.

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Last.

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Stem.

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And when I find the ground bare—AH!

The sweetest relief.

I dance in the rain and I bathe in the sun.

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Blind the entire time as I bask in glorious weather,

to the thorns I missed….spreading beneath me.

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And as soon as the drought begins

I hang my head, my gaze turns south,

and I see them—thriving about my feet.

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Preparing to catch me in a snare of ivy,

Yucca plants sharpening their razor leaves to hold me hostage.

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And in this moment I wonder how one singular event,

—one afternoon in a garden—

can haunt you for a lifetime.

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.........

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