First, a plug for my friend Dani’s site, My Heart’s Love Songs. I am honored to be the featured poet at her blog this week, and she speaks about the global community we are creating by interlinking our blogs. Thanks, Dani!
Always and Forever, Ironweed (dammit)
Our first spring here, a bit of garden space.
Colors came to every garden, save ours.
Only one flower – no crocuses, nor lilies,
nor tulips – but a massive bush of columbine.
Its flowers, sweet pink and yellow
Surveying the remainder: Weeds.
Carefully planted, cultivated weeds,
but who the hell cultivates weeds anyway?
Milkweed and the invasive monster
known as Ironweed, plus some grasses.
Friends took snippets, but what remained
was grief, plus my secret desire to torch it all.
I’m not hip to gardening, nor drawn to
communing with worms… so, with pretty new
red spade in hand (hey, at least I’m
fashionable), I delved into the muck.
Dug around, dug into, but never got under
the pernicious Ironweed. The stillness of
the evening shattered by my clatter, the
prying, the watering of clay dirt to loosen soil,
fingers fumbling, a botched surgery in an
intestinal mess that was the bowel of the weed,
until, YES! One last backbreaking tug – the
plant uprooted and I was on my ass, triumphant.
Attached to the weed’s butt, yam-like, marrowed
spurs of root, tangled as Kardashians in a mosh pit,
evil as Triffids – or those pods in the horror
movie that hatch your zombie replacement.
(Perhaps this is how the Tea Party started?)
Next day, peering out our kitchen window. Monica’s
birthday snapdragons, potted and hanging from
a shepherd’s hook; the lovely, swaying columbine;
fresh-planted herbs; two new begonias and…
an offshoot sprig of Ironweed, fully two feet
from the devil’s own plant I’d just dug up.
I s’pose my pod replicant can deal with this,
once it’s done growing the New Me in our basement.
© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
For Sunday Scribblings, “Always,”and for The Sunday Whirl: Secret, Colors, Window, Grief, Massive, Hips, Clatter, Marrow, Perhaps, Hand, Flower, Stillness, Crocuses.
Also at my poetic garden (which has no Ironweed), Poets United and at dverse Open Mic Night!
Sharp Little Pencil 
Monica Wahlberg
LOL!!! Oh my, and how do you really feel? I must tell you that besides daisys my mother’s favorite flower/plant were purple thistles. I think my friend Kelly might have felt how you do when she tried to dig up the blasted plant which had taken root into the bowels of China!
Sharp Little Pencil
I’m not surprise, Monica. And you know it’s offshooting all over the garden! But I refuse to use pesticides… even though the condo assoc. uses them with glee… right over our well!
vivinfrance
Just googled ironweed and it’s pretty! But I can feel your frustration with the creeping habit, like buttercups, bindweed, horse tail and other banes of my gardening life.
Sharp Little Pencil
These were all native Wisconsin plants, but the professional gardener the last folks hired put in too much, too close together, and it’s a bloody mess!
Jae Rose
I don’t think we have Iron weed here..I see it as a metaphor plant..green..foolhardy..tough to get rid of..for that reason I quite like the sound of it 😉 love the Kardashian reference..made me smile..Jae
Sharp Little Pencil
Anything making fun of the Kardashians and their made-up fame makes me laugh. I don’t know who’s had more plastic surgery – their mom or their stepfather, former Olympics hero Bruce Jenner. He looks like his face is covered in Saran Wrap!!
brenda w
Dratted nefarious weeds…send us sprawling onto our arses every time! Keep after it, oh tenacious one. 😉
Sharp Little Pencil
Ah, Brenda, I know you share my pain. And yes, tenacious with a capital T!!
kaykuala
Good for you, Amy! Weeds can be a real bother. They have a life of their own. Left to itself it would cover the whole backyard in no time. No watering nor fertilizers nor care. If only the flowers that we planted and gave the love and tender care could have grown that way! I just wonder!
Great write Ma’am!
Hank
Sharp Little Pencil
The former owners (we are tenants) planted a bunch of “prairie grasses” native to Wisconsin, but the pro gardeners they hired put in too much, too close. It’s a nightmare. Half of it actually looks like Triffids! Ironweed was well-named, you’re right…
brian miller
tangled as Kardashians in a mosh pit,…haha great description….the line ont eh tea party as well smiles…i am enjoying the humor in this one…eep on the new me in your basement…smiles…
Sharp Little Pencil
Brian, I had so much fun venting my frustrations on this one, in part because it wasn’t political or LGBTQ rights or social justice in general. And any chance I get to slam the KKK (Kim, Khloe and… Klutzy?) I’m a-jumpin! wink Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
Love this gardening poem. I need to get some pretties planted around my front steps this week. I am late this year, along with warm weather.
Sharp Little Pencil
Warm weather hit early here, and it caused all the darned weeds (ironweed, milkweed, pyeweed) to run rampant!!
judithhb
Weeds? Flowers in the wrong place
Sharp Little Pencil
The weeds beg to differ. They have actual, differentiated names and were planted (too close together) by the owners. We rent and I said, “Off with their heads!” But then, there are the pernicious TAILS… and the clay soil, hard for planting the pretties…
Shawna
“Its flowers, sweet pink and yellow” … So pretty. 🙂
“I’m not hip to gardening” … Ha!
“Attached to the weed’s butt, yam-like, marrowed
spurs of root, tangled as Kardashians in a mosh pit” … This is hilarious.
Sharp Little Pencil
Shawna, if I can’t laugh about this stuff, I’ll just start crying! Besides, the whole affair was so ridiculous…and everyone seems to agree about Kardashians, which I love!!
Victoria C. Slotto
You have packed so much into this stunning metaphorical poem, Amy.
Sharp Little Pencil
Victoria, if it hadn’t happened, I’d never have written the poem… so it was worth the effort! Thanks, Amy
tashtoo
I claim to have the blackest thumb imaginable…I learned this the hard way when a garden I was diligently tending to, one that in my mind was beautiful, was left full of weeds after I weeded. My mother had a great laugh when she saw I had left the weeds and weeded the pretty posies…so yes…I resonate well to this, and thought the writing just fantastic…bravo Poet!
Sharp Little Pencil
Tash, thanks so much. Yes, my older sis has a green thumb… used to transplant wildflowers, pick whole plants that weren’t working from one end of the garden and plop them into another. Me? I once over-watered an ALOE VERA, the queen of survival cactus, into oblivion. SISTER!!!
hedgewitch
This definitely made me laugh our loud. And I feel much better now that you’ve explained the origins of the Tea Party–I always wondered. The conversational and sanrky tone here is just right on target, and gardening is something you need a good sense of humor and proportion for, so I’m sure you (or of course, your pod replacement) will end up doing just fine. I envy your columbines–too hot here for those but I love them.
Sharp Little Pencil
Yes, the columbines were granted instant pardon when their blooms came out. They are fragile and sweet, holding their own amongst the encroaching monster pod-people plants.
If I suddenly stop blogging, you will know my replicant has taken over!
Renee Espriu
Don’t you just love those weeds….NOT! I’ve got so many it is taking me awhile to find the plants! Geez! LOL 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
I feel your pain, Renee. Hang in there and use garden shears as a last resort! A
magicalmysticalteacher
I lived in the hills of eastern Kentucky for a portion of my life, and there grew a plant with a ravishing purple flower that the locals called “ironweed.” From your poem, I’m guessing that the Kentucky variety is not the same as the one that has earned your wrath!
Whirling Haiku and Senryu
Sharp Little Pencil
I don’t know. They have not yet flowered, but if the remaining one does, I will not regret for one moment the ugly fat sucker I uprooted!! If it does flower beautifully, I will… Naw, who’m I kidding? I hate the damned things, ha ha ha.
claudia
love your sense of humor…the only way to face ’em…the real and the metaphorical ironweeds..ha
Sharp Little Pencil
Claudia, you caught the subtext, it’s so true. Ah, my perspicacious friend…! Peace, Amy
El Guapo
Really really liked this! Hope your pod person keeps posting after you’re gone!
Sharp Little Pencil
If my poetry begins to SUCK BIGTIME, you will know the replicant, that faded xerox, has taken over… “Mary had a little lamb/it charred upon the grill… She took a bite, chewed with all might, but still it made her ill.” Crap like that, ha ha ha.
julespaige
A delightful read. I too laughed out loud as several lines. I believe the definition of a weed is something, anything growing where you don’t want it. Which reminds me of my task of weeding yet to do. Daunting job really. But somewhat satisfying – when a particular bed gets groomed.
My wordle can be found here:
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2012/05/picturesque-sw-wordle-57.html
Sharp Little Pencil
Jules, thanks, as always, for leaving a URL, pointing me in the right direction. Weeds are a big thing here, because they are native prairie plants. These weeds, however glorious they may seem, are too close together and crowd even OTHER weeds out. So I’m pruning like crazy and digging out the PIA’s, if you get my drift…!
darkangelwrites
My last read before bed, giggling all the way.
“fingers fumbling, a botched surgery in an
intestinal mess that was the bowel of the weed,
until, YES! One last backbreaking tug – the
plant uprooted and I was on my ass, triumphant.”
I’ll have dreams of Body Snatchers now for sure!
Sharp Little Pencil
Sorry! Also ironic that the final episode of House, MD ran this week. We’ve seen our share of intestines on that one, huh? Long live Hugh Laurie, who is also a pretty good jazz musician! Amy
gautami tripathy
You brought nature close to me. And in a very very good way! Loved it!!
cloud reader
Sharp Little Pencil
Gautami, check out Jules’ post above if you REALLY want to be transported to a garden atmosphere. In the meantime, I’ll swing by your blog. THANKS for leaving a URL for me… love Amy
Walt Wojtanik
Nice bit of wordifying there, Darlin’ (Dammit!) Missed ya, glad to see yer brilliance again!
Sharp Little Pencil
Walt, so glad to have you here! Thanks for the kind words, and I made sure to post to Bloomings this week, even though I’m so far behind on answering comments… yikes!! Amy
Tumblewords
Kardashians and the Tea Party origin brought a loud guffaw – I’m learning to love weeds. They require so little care and carry on all summer without Miracle Gro or any of the high maintenance stuff the ‘real’ stuff begs. An absolutely delightful piece!
Sharp Little Pencil
If you love weeds, please come over anytime and take all your want… we rent a condo, and there’s a little patch of garden space. Me? I need color and herbs for cooking, so I had to start from scratch! Thanks, hon. Amy
Mr. Walker
Thank you, Amy. This is why I don’t garden. I don’t have the patience for it. This was a delightful read. Ironweed – what a great word – and your battle with it did it – and you – justice.
Richard
Sharp Little Pencil
I used to think “Ironweed” was nothing more than a novel by Wm. Kennedy (who used to drink at my piano bar in PR), but I understand the tenacity of his characters now that I’ve tried to dig one up… also, the stranglehold of alcohol. His title was a touch of brilliance, but I never got it until my “close encounter of the weed kind”!
Lindy Lee
“pod replicant”? Try painting on a little RoundUp, systemic weed killer. Read instructions thoroughly…
Sharp Little Pencil
Ha ha, actually, it’s awful, but we have a private well in the back of the condos and they DRENCH the soil with Round-Up. We don’t drink the water!!
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