The Vociferous Vine Poem by Sonny Rainshine

The vine has reached the top of the stake
and waves at me as it billows in the autumn wind.

You betrayed me,
it seems to say.
You directed me toward the sun
and then you left me groping, reaching.

But, I would answer,
such is the paradox of life.
As a young man I scaled the ladder
of opportunity, buoyed by dreams,
by aspirations, by the glittery
promises of youth.

But all journeys end,
mountains peak,
love dies, or transforms into something else-
with luck, affection or friendship-
and we find ourselves
a vine with nothing to cling to.

As I go out on the porch
with a string and a slender
bamboo branch to extend
the vine's support,
feeling the first chill
of fall, I feel I'm
ready to face the long nights of January,
and to push upward toward May.