Japanese Knotweed
A single female specimen –
no males were taken – you survived
salt watered decks
to be bedded in Victorian soil
an ornamental
clusters white as Fuji’s tip
leaves the shape
of valentine hearts
to compliment the rhododendron
and ginkgo
sinister geisha
how well you hid your true nature
no one could have suspected
your merciless roots
breakneck speed of your advance
the green putsch you plot underfoot
Stephen Bone has been published in magazines in the U.K. and U.S. A first collection In The Cinema ( Playdead Press ) appeared in 2014, followed by a pamphlet Plainsong ( Indigo Dreams ) 2018.
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