Battles And Beauties Poem by Jonathan Banuelos

You transform into a simple plant
Your roots suck away at my life
Next to you the others fight for your shade
Your ugly leaves are humbled by the roses
Yet they refuse to bloom under your cover of the sun
The aphids attract to you
Leaving the others alone and healthy
Your leaves resemble the disorder of a train upon the sky
Ecstasy grips the aphids
Intruders destroyed by your poisonous honey
The corpses fall to the ground
Their deaths heal you
The grip of an ivy approaches
Long ago taken over the roses
As it rains, the ivy’s arms grow
Upon your stem they grip
These arms extend from me fueled by the sky’s laments
Movement fueled by sadness
You grow towards the sky
Desperately trying to escape
Stem upon stem falls to my grip
Your defiance fuels the war upon me and gravity
Gravity can’t hold me back
You are the one holding me up
The little parasites in me burrow into your green sides
They dig into you but even they cannot cause you to wilt
Now I can close my eyes and not be alone