What the Vine Intended | David Cappella

The vine did what the vine intended –

climbed the oak in summer

then stopped in autumn, slowed

its slither into a stone-still embed

along striations of the tree’s bark –

a subtle camouflaged embrace

so tight the ivy’s reddened leaves

seemed to float, suspended ruses,

spiraling up around the tree’s trunk.

In sly foliage the sleeping poison waits,

spider-like, for determined hands

intent to pull it down, waits for

that one innocent yank to pay

the careless price for backyard beauty.

David Cappella, English professor at Central Connecticut State University