A DECISION ON IVY
by Jacqueline Jules
Arlington, Va.

Beneath green vines,
woody rootlets climb
on suction cup feet.
As the seasons pass,
more bark and branch succumb
until an abominable green creature
reaches its arms toward the sky--
a self-portrait next year
if the hours I'm working
continue to climb and cover me.
English Ivy leaves no room
for other plants to grow.
Either I embrace the lush foliage
consuming
the current trunk of my days,
or I slash the jealous vines now
while there is still time
for branches to grow unsheathed,
displaying different kinds
and colors of leaf.


Jacqueline is an elementary school librarian and the author of twelve children's books including Sarah Laughs and No English. Her poetry has appeared in sixty publications including Christian Science Monitor, America, The Mid-America Poetry Review, and Lullwater Review. She was a two-time winner in the Arlington Arts Moving Words Poetry Competition and the SCBWI Magazine Merit Honor Plaque for Poetry. In 2008, her poem, "Bungee Jumping", won first place for Best Original Poetry from the Catholic Press Association.
(photo by Ronald Fortini)