I have been pruning
For more than two decades
Apple, pear, cherry and plum —
Stubbornly reach for the sun.
Just when I think I’m there
They run amuck again,
Sprout like rabid weeds
Crown out all reason.
When I was young
In my perfect world,
Cultivating fruit trees
Seemed such a waste of time.
Now I’ve created
Frankenstein’s Orchard
Grotesque sentries
Overbearing brutes.
I’ve obviously learned nothing
About the needs of trees.
This article appears in Wealth Care.