Poem: "Sunshine in the Sidewalks": ysabetwordsmith

Poem: "Sunshine in the Sidewalks"

This is today's freebie, inspired by

rix_scaedu. It also fills the "yellow" square in my 4-1-17 card for the Month of Rainbows Bingo fest.

"Sunshine in the Sidewalks"

Everywhere the pavement goes,
the weeds are sure to follow.

Their seeds sink into the cracks
between the squares of concrete,
reach their roots into the damp dust
and pry the pavers apart.

They bloom with unrelenting cheer,
their small yellow flowers peeking out
like spots of sunshine in the sidewalks.

Dandelion opens its golden umbrellas,
closes them, then reopens silver seedballs.

Creeping buttercup crawls through the cracks
like a squad of soldiers entrenching themselves.

Lesser trefoil is tiny, easily overlooked,
and all but impossible to eradicate.

From the yards to the sidewalks they spread,
and from the sidewalks to the vacant lots and
the parking plazas, stretching themselves
everywhere that humans have gone.

They invade the paved spaces,
painting over gray with yellow and
green, an aggressive graffiti of growth.

Sure, they grow in the lawns too,
clamoring among the grass in the parks,
in the front and back yards, but really,
weeds do best when living in the cracks

where there is less competition.

* * *

Notes:

Weeds in cracks can destroy pavement. There are various ways to kill weeds and seal cracks, some safer than others.

Dandelion, creeping buttercup, and lesser trefoil are among the yard weeds prone to growing in cracks.