There are rare moments when I think about my ever-growing collections of plants

Sprouted from one mother constantly blooming new children into existence

At one point in time I watered their flowers and leaves with care

Stroking each stem and whispering unimportant details about my day

Then when my children feel claustrophobic

I re-pot them into bigger pots so they can breathe

It's just me and my children watching the waves rush up the shore

Every late fall I haul my children into the garage so they don't freeze

Except now it's a chore

And I don't look down at them lovingly like I used to

Now I admire my cactus that grows taller by the hour

With needles that don't dare prick me

It understands my independence and neediness

In a way my blossomed children have yet to grasp

Their drooping leaves wrap around my shoelaces when I walk by

Crumbling dirt trails after my wet footprints

My children give me the same sensation I feel

When I see a squirrel on the newly refilled birdfeeder

After I've chased them away time and time again

My cactus however

She's there for me

She's good for me and I love her

And you, oh, you

Are like my droopy leaved plants I haul into my garage

To keep from withering away permanently

Because even though it's a chore

I couldn't bare to walk out to my garden without seeing you there