The Vine
While relaxing here at Riversleigh and gazing through my window at all the greenery hereabouts, I am reminded of another place, another time.
The Vine
It was small,
but mighty,
delicate,
but fiercely determined—
the vine
that grew outside my back door.
It was an invader,
conqueror,
traveler,
explorer.
Imagine when,
one morning I noticed
such delicate life
invading my kitchen.
Through the wall, no less,
it had burrowed—
a leafy drill
through stucco and wood,
dry wall and plaster.
I should cut it away, I thought,
tear it out by its roots,
seal its passage,
pull it out and destroy it,
but how could I
when all I could do
was watch in amazement
as little by little
and day by day it traveled
across the linoleum.
Where next would it go?
I wondered.
Would I,
one morning awaken
to find myself covered
with a blanket of leaves?
Or would I be trapped
in its vines,
trussed
like a fly in a web?
I moved on,
leaving
the vine behind,
and wondering
where next did it go…
where next did it go?
Vi Jones
©February 2, 2006
posted by Vi Jones @ 10:13 AM
8 comments
The 
8 Comments:
I have a vine just like this Vi. Perhaps we will end up as Sleeping Beauties with creeper entwined over us. Love it.
I am entranced by your poem. I had to cut down an old wisteria vine that was pulling down an arbor that ran the width of my garage. I used to make wreathes out of the vines. Because I couldn't do much yard work, they'd sometimes grow to 20/30 feet. lol I'm sure they would have loved to come in the house!
Vines are amazing, and I used to have lots less patience with them than I do today. Love the vine wreaths and sleeping beauty imagery, and also a little reminded of the "Day of the Triffids" film. I remember watching that one night and thinking I would be covered in vines by the morning! The power of film, indeed.
Lois, that story would be amazing on Chamber of Horrors! How dark is that!
Vi this is such a beautiful, meditative piece, and I could see it in my mind as I read it:-)
I remember, Faucon, when I was a child in Wales and living in an eighteenth century cottage. The walls were covered with ivy and I don't believe it bothered the structure at all. It was home to spiders though and I'm sure many other kinds of insects--they never bothered us either.
And to all of you, thank you for your lovely comments.
Vi
There is ivy covering over lots of houses from long ago, and it never did bother anyone. Houses without ivy get spiders, go figure. Amazing too how the ivy knows how to trail itself around the home neatly, as if it just belongs there;-)
Ivy in its homeland may know where to grow and rests in winter but here, deep in the southern hemisphere, it has no notion of when or where to stop and runs it fingers deep between the bricks destroying the fence it occupies and all that it can reach. I once yearned for an ivy-covered cottage but have spent the last twelve years fighting a determined destructor. Let every plant know its place.
Fran, my insurance agent has her office in an old building not far from here. She loves ivy and has an indoor specis that ia crawling all over the interior walls. I love it and make any excuse to stop in and say "Hi." Her receptionist though can't stand ivy, and you know, the ivy stops short of spreading into her space. Hard to believe that the ivy knows it's not wanted, but you tell me why else it would stop short. My agent would like to know, too. There are no more stranger things between Heaven and Earth.
Vi
I have to say this discussion is fascinating, about ivy. Do you think it really likes it's own home town best?
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