Dracaena trifasciata
jake ass up
on the trash
heap in the
garage.
jake a gay
snake plant
who died
of rot
& i fear
too often
that i am
too much
like jake,
rotten
Monstera deliciosa
the future rips
itself from stalks
of selfsame
stuff, plant
matter torn
hollow to form
another
self out of
its insides—
the tear
itself is
time—new
leaves unfurl
only at the end
of a stem.
Fuck.
Guess I’ll wait, then.
Spathiphyllum
he called it bitchy—
the peace
lily who pouts
when thirsty—
i said
a bitch
like me
Adrian Dallas Frandle (he/they) is a poet, editor, educator, & queer fish. Book of Extraction: Poems with Teeth was published in 2023 by Kith Books. You will find recent work featured in Poet Lore, Honey Literary, and hex literary. Adrian also pens a monthly poetry column for the local paper The Stratford Crier. Read more at adriandallas.com.