At D’Verse Pub for poetsthe Tuesday Poetics challenge is to write a poem about invasive plants. Thank you Kim for the prompt. I am struggling to post this on my new machine but here goes.
Loose Strife
Lythrum salicaria
ruthless colonizer
Flagging the shallows
Phalanxes purple hued
bugle petaled pikes
Herald the march
Natives displaced
waters muddied
Loosestrife tightens its hold
Wetlands subdued
barren and destitute
Under a riot of color.
Hey, I recognise these flowers… 🙂
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😉 what flowers.?
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Loosestrife, Bugle and Lythrum salicaria (not so sure about that one, not the exactspecies I’m familiar with)
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You know this flower, I was just trying to imply that maybe it’s not about flowers at all. But yeah, Purple Loosestrife, aka Lythrum, can dramatically change the life of a pond.
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I see it growing wild in the marshes.
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I’ve seen purple loosestrife and thought it an attractive plant; I wasn’t aware of its ruthlessness although the name should have warned me! I love the sound of ‘bugle petaled pikes’ and the image of:
‘Wetlands subdued
barren and destitute
Under a riot of color’.
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It’s a beautiful plant. Some colonizers start out so, seemingly having something to offer. But ponds need their natural diversity to be resilient and sustainable. Loosestrife is too domineering and can undo a pond.
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The subtle tongue twister in this are marvelous–read it aloud!
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*twisterS
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Thank you. It is a special compliment to have a poem read aloud. I am so glad if this worked.
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This was enjoyable to read D. Sounds like a ruthless battle for territory.
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Yep. That’s life. Plants can be quite aggressive. Thanks.
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Some invasive ground covers can be handy and attractive when planted in contained areas. The purple-hued bugles sound pleasant.
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Yes, so many pleasant plants. It’s all about boundaries!
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They look much better than they are… some invasive things will lull us until they take over.
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Exactly. We don’t even know what seeds have been planted.
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Wonderful hard-hitting final stanza, love it when a poem ends with a punch.
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Thank you. Glad to deliver.
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The slow creep of many that overgrow others. I enjoyed this.
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Thanks, I am glad to hear that.
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