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Poetry posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Occasional Poetry - 32. Hogweed and Darkness

i>There really is such a plant as Giant Hogweed. You can look it up. It is very, very, nasty; do not go near it. And watching 'Alien' still gives me the creeps.

All of the errors and poetic abominations committed herein are mine. You can bet on that.
Giant Hogweed
 
There grows upon the river's steamy bank
a looming, umbellated tower in white,
which seems to grow a fathom overnight
while menacing its neighbors, wild and rank.
 
Its broadly incised leaves will spread, and thank
the sun for all the rays they steal to spite
the other plants which shrink away in fright,
botanical corruption at their flank.
 
So like the Giant Hogweed am I made,
the likeness is astonishing, I fear;
for those who every caution disobeyed
and wander so that I might touch them near,
I burn and blind, their innocence repaid
with everlasting scars their souvenir.
 
 
 
In the Dark
 
Do not return my smile, for I am ill,
a strange and dreadful creature lives within,
consuming all I am with evil grin,
delighted so my inmost parts to kill.
 
As I record my dismal fate, a chill
suffuses what is left beneath my skin
with dread for every skirmish deep within
which leaves me colder, emptier and still.
 
And every glass which mocks my saddened frame
I banished, for they hastened to declare
the changes wrought, repulsion to declaim
to all who breathe, or daylight with me share,
reflecting the emergence of my shame,
my very soul exposed to open air.
 
em>Reviews are welcome, rant or rave; you type them in and then hit 'save.'
Copyright © 2017 Parker Owens; All Rights Reserved.
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Poetry posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Parker Owens
On 07/08/2016 04:44 AM, dughlas said:

Well I like the rthym and flow of both. But wonder though at such dire views of oneself ... giant hogweed indeed.

It's a real plant, honest. Up here, the state environmental agency hustles out to eradicate it in tyvek suits whenever it is reported. It's so nasty, I wouldn't even compare it to my worst enemy or even my least favorite politician. I had to stand in, I guess. I am glad these flow well for you.

Parker Owens
On 07/08/2016 06:24 AM, Mikiesboy said:

Parker do we need to talk, buddy? Giant hogweed? You sure it's not cow parsnips, now? Both poems are terrific, but I think you're being a little tough on yourself.

Oh yeah, I can do plant ID. Too tall for the NBA, purple joints....a Hogweed. How to write a poem about a plant that nasty? And I should never have watched Alien...Thanks for the review, Tim.

skinnydragon

Dear friend,
I we ever meet irl, I--um, may need to take a wee step backward to protect myself.

 

These were beautifully, if terrifyingly, well written. I'm confident you were channeling someone else when you got the inspiration for these. Maybe a politician from The States or something. :P

 

btw I've seen one of those giant hogweed thingys. :o

 

Nicely wrought, Parker. :thumbup:

Parker Owens
On 07/08/2016 11:52 AM, Headstall said:

Interesting subject matter, Parker. I hope these are indeed depictions of things/creatures other than yourself. I love how you unabashedly do your own thing. I think there's a science teacher in you who loves to experiment and amaze :) . And you do.... amaze me... cheers... Gary....

I''m actually an even more fearsome creature...a math teacher. Math can amaze and stun just as much as science. My students occasionally claim I am an evil monster, but modestly hope I'm something a little better...perhaps a merely grumpy dwarf or something. But you are right, both of these were experiments with a different sonnet form than the one I am used to, and my melancholy voice took over. Many thanks for reading and for your kind review. - P

Parker Owens
On 07/08/2016 12:16 PM, skinnydragon said:

Dear friend,

I we ever meet irl, I--um, may need to take a wee step backward to protect myself.

 

These were beautifully, if terrifyingly, well written. I'm confident you were channeling someone else when you got the inspiration for these. Maybe a politician from The States or something. :P

 

btw I've seen one of those giant hogweed thingys. :o

 

Nicely wrought, Parker. :thumbup:

I should have thought one puff of Dragon breath would scorch a giant hogweed to the ground. That's kind of like what the State Environmental Department does, anyway. They must have their own Dragon. You say these were terrifying, and so I may have accomplished my aim that far. Thank you for your response and reflection on these. And remember: the next time you feel the brush of a serrated leaf on the back of your neck...it could be me.

Parker Owens
On 07/17/2016 06:25 AM, AC Benus said:

Too rough you are on you, my friend. I hope you meant the 'you' to stand for somebody less imbued with compassion in your heart as I know you to be - well, maybe a little more is needed for the 'self,' but otherwise you are more a Queen Anne's Lace than a hogweed of any sort.

Perhaps we can split the difference and settle on a Cow Parsnip. ;) Darkness was meant to be creepy, as I was thinking especially about the sensation of living with the knowledge that an alien is living inside of you, as in the movie. As for Hogweed, I spotted several nearby, and did my bit by notifying the proper authorities and keeping well away. But again, what would it feel like to be the personification of this much-feared invasive plant? Thank you for reading these with your generosity of spirit and kindness.

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