Sickly sprout glimpses light.
Strangles elder sister and
starves elder brother, crawling upward
through gasps of shade. Up,
up. Outstretched, not ******.
This one shrinks not
from probing creepers. This one
clutches clods of dirt in spindly arms,
twines about cage-wires thirsting
for sap. Roots,
inevitably. At last,
drizzle murmurs greetings
on fresh leaves
as they drink of sunrise.