POETS UNITED - WEEDS

“If you spend time alone in the wilderness, you get very attuned to living things.” - George Dyson

Poets United this week is devoted to the topic of "weeds". This is a topic that I have a very soft spot for, as I believe that all plants wild or cultivated, hybrid or common, garden-sown or wilderness-grown have a place in our life and can all contribute positively to our existence.

Many of the so-called “weeds” are useful and valuable plants in their own right – we have just lost the knowledge, experience and sagacity to use them appropriately. See my previous blog post on this topic here.

My poem this week:


The Weed

Behold the orchid, a precious hybrid,

Resplendent in its baroque beauty

Dazzling in its polychrome coloration,

Rare, charming and elegant,

A most perfect flower…

My own floret, humble,

Insignificant by comparison

Most likely to be trodden on,

As it will often pass unnoticed,

Or treated with contempt, if seen.

The rose, pure bred and sleek,

A proud, fragrant blood-red bloom

Rising tall from glistening green leaves,

The epitome of refined grace,

Admired and desired.

My leaves a dusty green,

And my habit recumbent;

My smell oddly singular:

To a few pleasing, perhaps,

To others mildly unpleasant.

Look at the lily, wan and lofty,

In the greenhouse raised

And cosseted lovingly

By nurseryman’s tender,

Unending ministrations…

My own existence haphazard,

Yet hardy, tenacious in waste places;

I grow and self-seed and persist –

For those who get to know me,

I am a plant most useful, indispensable.