Seed

I’m not good with plants
               But I found this seed, if you can help.
There are some cracks,
               Exposure has caused it to suffer.

The soil doesn’t look good:
               Dry and inhospitable.
Are you surrounding it with manure?
               Is that the right thing to do?

The plant looks sick.
               Ashen leaves with brittle branches.
Do we need to resoil? Replant?
               Will fresh water be enough to save it?

Can you take this seed, this dream, in my heart –
               That time and heartache have beaten down,
                              And make it something more?
Will you breathe new life into this and cause something to grow?

--
Kris Green lives in Florida with his beautiful wife and two savage children. He’s been published over 60 times in the last few years by the wonderful people at Nifty Lit, The Haberdasher: Peddlers of Literary Art, In Parentheses Magazine, Route 7 Review, BarBar Magazine and many more. He won the 2023 Barbe Best Short Story and Reader’s Choice Award for his short story, 'Redemption'. Currently, he has regular nonfiction articles being published by Solid Food Press on fatherhood entitled 'On Raising Savages'.