Ode to June and weed pulling, playing near the woods

Toxicodendron Radicans

Symbiotic and perennial,
it waits all summer until September.
Not deceiving with patience, always there
and never alone in the sun at the edge of the forest.

Under the fertile terra, under my skin,
it shoots and surfaces—dig it out at its roots!
Blooms and weeps
a renewal, a reminder
of where I have been.
Honor it dig it don’t scratch it’s ratchet!

Like a sniffy hound or a shifty squirrel,
I always know where to find it.
I’m so glad you’re in love
so happy for your love
user friendly, just for me.

‘Twill run its course in a few weeks or so
with Mother Nature’s approval–
an upheaval, but never an evil.

This June reminder, this bleeding heart
of respect in retrospect–
I know where to find you
and you know where to find me,
just like poison ivy.