Neglected Growth

Weeds press against cracked bricks,

choking the air with dry stalks.

Boots crunch brittle leaves,

a forgotten tomato squashes beneath.

Sticky red oozes slow,

a bruise blooming on cracked earth.

Tomato vines twist brittle,

tangled in their own neglect.

The garden leans, unpruned,

weeds whispering dry apologies.

Growth left to wither,

a slow surrender to dust and time.

I step back, boots stained,

the smell of rot and sun-baked dirt

hanging heavy, a quiet reckoning

with the garden I forgot to tend.