Maintenance

The tag said it didn't need much.

Just a cup of water when the soil went dusty

and a window that caught the afternoon glare.

I gave it too much. I wanted to be helpful.

When I tried to shift the ceramic pot today,

the green skin stayed behind.

The base had collapsed into a black, vinegary soup,

a sudden stench of swamp in a plastic dish.

It’s a specific kind of failure

to kill something designed to survive

months of absolute nothing.