The Secret Ambitions of Heartleaf Vine

Poem by Gurupreet K Khalsa

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I look at the vine with big heart-shaped leaves
twining around the pecan tree,
wandering over the privet hedge,
pretending to be a banner, a bunting
for a happy, iridescent summer celebration
of green: emerald, jade, lime,
 
and I realize, on some inner platform of unease,
it will grow to cover my house, my car,
my cat, coil through windows, strangle the tunes
out of the piano, wrap itself around my face
with triumphant rustle in its confidence
to smother life out of all of it.

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Gurupreet K. Khalsa, a current resident of Alabama, considers connections, space, time, reality, illusion, and possibility. She holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and is a part-time instructor in graduate education programs. Her work has appeared in multiple journals; many poems have received awards.