April PAD (Poem-a-Day) Challenge: Day 10 "Holly Bushes"

Today’s poetry prompt from Writer’s Digest Poetry Editor Robert Lee Brewer is:

“Today’s “Two-for-Tuesday” prompts are:

Write a Forest poem.
Write a Tree poem.
You can literally write about a forest. Or you can literally write about a tree. Or you can dive right into the metaphor separating the two. Your choice. Get creative with it.”

I’m going to exercise some poetic license, if you will, and write about a shrub instead. When my family moved into our house 2 1/2 years ago, it had holly bushes along the front of the house. My wife and I didn’t like the look of holly in front of our house, and we had concerns that our toddlers might sneak a few of the poisonous berries into their diets while out playing in the yard. I’ve been digging the bushes out by hand and have so far eradicated three of the seven bushes. During this long process I’ve learned a few things: their root system is incredibly deep and wide, I should’ve borrowed a truck and chain on day one, and they are worthy of damnation. (I bet I’ll offend someone’s sensibilities with this one)

“Holly Bushes”

Among the things my mother taught me:
Never take the LORD’s name in vain.
So, when I curse, and I do curse,
I try to leave God out of it, but these
holly bushes, these God damn holly bushes.
Be not fooled by their candy red berries, or
their leaves, always full and thick adorning
your suburban home. Their roots, digging
toward China, broadening across the body
of the Earth like varicose veins, evade my
shovel’s blade as it flips dirt around the lawn.
I persevere, pressing into the soil, praying
for freedom from this thorn in my side.
As each shrub finally! breaks from hardened
Oklahoma soil, I cast it into the Lake of Fire.

April PAD Challenge: Day 1 “Scenes Shot in Super 8″
April PAD Challenge: Day 2 “Adobe Café”
April PAD Challenge: Day 3 “Confession Booth”
April PAD Challenge: Day 4 “100% Juice”
April PAD Challenge: Day 5 “Uncle Harry”
April PAD Challenge: Day 6 “Hide ‘n’ Seek”
April PAD Challenge: Day 7 “Political Discourse”
April PAD Challenge: Day 8 “Heart 2.0″
April PAD Challenge: Day 9 “Yoga Class”
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