I look at the monstera
growing by the front door
and see it reaching to the light
it is blooming
outgrowing its pot
with just weekly watering
an amount of care so seldom
that I have to set an alarm
to remember to do it
yet this bit of life
it like so much else
is so eager to be alive
and takes so little
while giving back so much
inhaling the poison
we’ve made of the atmosphere
storing it safely into the dirt
exhaling fresh air
what an amazing thing
this houseplant
asking only a cup and a half
of water each week
and some soft daily sun
I wish we could all
exist as gently as this
I wish we all could say
that we give more than we take
what a blooming world
that would be

Alexander Shalom Joseph is an award winning poet, writer and playwright from Gilpin County, and is the author of seven published books. You can find his work and more information about him at www.alexandershalomjoseph.com.