Nature Poem
by ...
Meaghan Strimas
Seriously, who doesn’t want another poem
about the fern fronds who wave farewell,
(weeping, perhaps?) as some backpacking
sap leaves the forest for the highway.
I like nature, too. I like the birds who
shit-bomb my balcony, and I like the parks
we’ve “saved.” Good thing, for us, this greenery
exists. Yes, we do make room for the squirrels
and the chipmunks. It’s a little more delicate
with those skunks and raccoons. Still, we’re good
to leave the nests where they’ve been built.
We’ve a healthy respect for avian architecture.
Plus, it’s a real effort to climb that high.
I know a guy who claims he’s going to live
off the bounty he’s growing in his yard.
You should see the two plum tomatoes that hang
like sagging nuts from his leggy vines.
Last count–six whole peas. But why romanticize?
