On a prairie
As vast as
An ocean we
Sprout and struggle
Reaching up higher
Lavender and peony
Daisy and daffodil
Sunning like cats
On a windowsill
Each of us
Magnificently alone here
Until invisible vines
Tickle tender torsos
These invasive lovers
These relationships that
Slowly wind their
Way upward eventually
Becoming so entwined
That to pluck
One you pluck
The other too
But not me
I continue higher
Above the rest
Preferring to be
The best the
Tallest robust me
Chosen for beauty
And not simply
Because I’m here
As has happened
To my friends
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 