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The Death of my Ivy

Janet Kuypers, 09/07/06 #1

so my mom kept a piece of the ivy
from my wedding bouquet,
planted it into a window sill pot
outside her house in Florida

kept the plant growing,
really kept it thriving
and looking beautiful

she gave me clippings in a window sill pot
and most of my ivy died
so I put what was still living
into another pot with other plants

later mom cut more of the ivy for me
put it into another pot for me
and once again, most of my ivy died
but some kept living
barely
so I put a little sprig of a spider plant there
and they stayed together and survived

it turned into summer
and I placed my ivy outside in Chicago
I know my mother leaves her ivy outside,
but leaves it in the shade
but I hoped
that since the summer sun in Chicago is milder
than the summer sun in south west Florida
my ivy would be okay

and my ivy is looking quite healthy now
outside in the Chicago summer sun
and I thought,
maybe there’s a chance for my ivy to survive
anywhere now

###

I came to mom’s house
just after she died
and neighbors came by
to take care of her plants
pull all of the weeds,
try to make sure
everything kept looking good

and mom’s ivy
she took from my wedding
well, you see, it was planted in a small window sill pot
and it wasn’t in the sun
you had to remember that it was there
and give it special attention
and when I walked by my mom’s wedding ivy
I saw that because no one thought to water it
most of it had turned brown
and died

so daily I have brought
a glass of water
to the window sill pot of dying ivy

my last-ditch effort

to try to save what was left
of my mom’s wedding ivy

I check the bottom lip of the window sill pot
seems there’s till no water in there,
another day, time for another glass of water

this morning I looked
brought a glass of water with me
for my mom’s dying wedding ivy
and it looked like
all of the leaves had turned brown now

and I don’t know if it’s completely dead
I’m no plant doctor
and I don’t know if mom keeps any plant food
anywhere in her house
so I don’t know what else to do
so

so I frantically worry
coming much too late to help something live
and not knowing if there’s anything I can do


Copyright © 2006 Janet Kuypers.

U.S. Government Copyright © 2004
Chicago Poet Janet Kuypers
on all art and all writings on this site completed
before 6/6/04. All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.


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