The spider plant
If I can treat it right
Will treat me to its game
Of white leaves and green stripes
That seem to grow straight
And then to curl down
Strong from the root
then supple and round
a fountain of blades
styled in a salon
they dance and jingle
at the touch of a breeze
but then comes the stem
hollow like a straw
like a water pipe
that crosses the room
and on the end
a tiny white flower
unfolds from the instructions
sown inside the cloth
with out a seamstress
or a fashion designer
to cut out the shapes
and bind them together
then the tiny white petals
fall away
then some kind of seed
like the eye of a fly
hides mischievously
in a casing
then out comes
that baby spider plantlet
hanging on a stalk
like a tightrope walker
be careful then
spider plant lover
soon there are more
and the spider plant takes over
They call them hens and chickens in South Africa where they grow as outdoor plants (and they’re pretty rampant). People won’t have then inside their houses in case they eat all their food!
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Thank you for another really interesting comment Chris. I didn’t know they were south African plants.
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