A Home of Glowing Green

Some folks have dogs.

Some have cats, or

birds or fish or turtles.

But my non-human friends

are plants: big, small, old, young.

Some have been with me for years.

Some came as gifts or are

divided from other plants.


In the place of honor is my

Grandmother’s wedding present:

a 120-year-old Boston fern.

Beside it sprawls the night-blooming cereus,

which inspires bloom parties every summer.

Moses-in-the-bulrushes comes next

with its little boats of flowers.

And high above hangs a lush green vine

beside little offspring from the spider plant.


The spindly geraniums dug up from outside

have bloomed their hearts out all winter,

while the 3 hearty-looking ones from the

store stubbornly refuse to bloom.

These are just a few of the green and growing friends 

who share my home all winter long.

I can’t imagine being without them. They feel essential

to my sanity and my connection to the world.

Both they and I have learned to live safe inside

while we wait for spring to set us free.



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