Ivy Upon the Brick

A figurative poem chronicling the prideful ascension of a personified ivy plant

Ivy upon the brick,

Twisting, tangling, climbing,

Flourishing a beautiful green,

Adding to its ornament of flowers

To build its pride higher

Bursting with vivid color�"

Red, yellow, orange, white�"

It garlands the worn house.

Ivy upon the brick,

Climbing, reaching, rising,

Sighting the tippy-top,

Vying to reach its tendrils

To the final upper bricks,

Tangling its arms together�"

Writhing, warping, wringing, wrenching�"

It strangles its own intents.

Ivy upon the brick,

Falling, peeling, dying,

Contracting a pallor,

Trying to reassert its grasp

With its ever-slipping fingers,

Splitting at its ends�"

Tearing, crumbling, shriveling, fraying�"

It extinguishes all its flowers.