Had I known they were weeds
would I have hated the reeds
that snaked up from the mud floor
changing pond to snarling sea?
Would I have hated the green vines
that wrapped around the gates?
Deemed the yellow flowers ugly,
and despised their honey taste?
Would I have declined the grape vines
that offered Tarzan Swings?
Would I have shushed all the starlings,
and let the cardinals sing?
Would I have ever listened
if told these lives were bad?
Could I have understood
these vines were not to have?
Thrown over the fences
and climbing cabin walls
as a little girl
its hard to tell these things are wrong.