Today the trails were covered by Kudzu’s cranky cousin

Poison ivy

Every where you turned

She snaked up tree trunks

And curled up by roots

Like a fat cat at her master’s feet

Those pretty three leaves,

Vibrantly announcing themselves

Unapologetically climbing toward the sky

And once she felt especially established

She threw out beautiful, crisp white blooms

That begged to be touched

For no meager price

I love her, though she’s literally scarred me,

She rules a quiet queendom

Asking for no permission than her own

She holds firm to her boundaries

Striking earnestly if one oversteps

We all could learn from poison ivy