Legacy
written by: Julie Pratt
Some call it sweet, though it’s not easy to do,
when you’ve done your best to resist, played your
last card and the only move left is to
surrender,
like the ball of buds on a stalk of milkweed,
each bud sealed tight as two lips keeping a secret,
until the heat of the sun convinces them to
release
their petals, dusty pink blossoms bursting
along a country road, teeming with monarchs jostling for
seats at the bar, drunk on nectar, until the flowers
bow
to the knob of a pod, growing plumper each day,
pregnant with seeds, stretching their seams
as summer wanes, until the pods
set free
clouds of silk-winged seeds,
a prayer to the wind.
Julie Pratt lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where she worked for many years as a writer and facilitator for nonprofit organizations. The author of several award-winning poems, her poetry has appeared in Passager, Persimmon Tree, ONE ART and other venues. She grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, where she earned a master’s degree in social work from UW-Madison. Later in life, she received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. Her writing is inspired by nature and by people who are working to change themselves and the world for the better.
Latest posts by Julie Pratt (see all)
- Legacy - September 1, 2024
- The Gift - May 5, 2024
- Ode to Life - January 11, 2024
