You ask me how I rise
How I continue in the wake of destruction
Persist when death and decay may reign in ash around me
Persevere when the soil is blistered and inflamed
Begin again even when I may be brittle and burned
I rise because I must

You are both fun and a pain
While I’m reminded of the good times
I also want to rip out these memories
I blame you
You were the older one
Suppose to watch me
Protect me
But because you wanted to hide your pain
Behind a haze of ******
Today, I can barely face my own
I want to laugh with you
But debate weeding you out of my garden
I love you but hold such hate for you
Though we are siblings still

Dear Little One,
I know things were hard for you
The kind of hard that forced you into adulthood before you were ready
Parts of you were stolen
You never deserved that
You were a gentle light, a precious child
I know you still cry out, reach for hands that wouldn’t take yours
Reach for love that every little one deserves
I am here now
I will let you cry in my arms
I will let you exist in your full feelings
I will hold you so tightly that you breathe relief at being held
Little One, you are precious
You are deserving
I know it took me a while to find you in the dark
But I am here now
And I will be here forever
With all my love,
Bigger One

You’ve grown where you were born
Never leaving the comforts you’re familiar with
Yet not knowing the wonders of the unknown
Never risking potential experiences
Choosing to keep within your ceramic walls
Has made you wary
You find yourself safe and protected
But your roots are stunted without care
And you can’t escape the mites that eat your leaves

You are beautiful and sought after
What many flowers long to be
But they are so green with envy that they resent you
As you raised me, I saw how they treated you
How they tried to make you wilt with dangerous incompetence
Poisoned your water with false promises
Plucked your petals to dampen your spirit
But you remain divine
You gave me life
Nurtured my growth as you wished to be nurtured
And, for that, I will always love you

From afar and with less knowledge you look like a kind flower
Your purple color stark against the green
But your spines are long and painful
A lasting pain that aches after you have struck
Perhaps a defense for your vulnerable heart
But a defense I have no desire to break
And instead wish you were eaten by a cow

I can pick you out of a crowd
Your vibrant violet instantly makes me smile
The sass clear and unapologetic
As confident as your color
Yet still vulnerable against a storm
I will rally behind you
Fight against your foes
And listen to your heart
For you are my favorite mushroom
And dearest friend

From the first moment I saw you I knew what you were
So determined to make yourself like others with the thought
"Why can’t they love me like Morel?"
Except that thought is heard, seen by anyone who meets you
And where some look at you as a trickster
I look at you with utter love, wishing I could hold you to me
And tell you, you are enough
Even if I get poisoned in the process