Weeds - A tapestry poem with Shernaz Wadia

Weeds in Waterloo, Ontario.

Shernaz's poem

we bloom invisible, undesirable
among your well-laid out ornamentals
you wage war on us wanting our annihilation

rejected root, stem and flower by you
we areat times privileged to be
someone else’s invaluable blossoms;

if replanted tenderly, we flourish in
the warmth of nurturing hearts and homes
our healing powers redeeming their emptiness

My poem

"Clear off” they said, "no space for beggars,

VIP movement is on, move on, move on”

So we moved on, and that wasn’t such a problem

for we’re the flotsam, the jetsam, the unwanted

c/o footpath; we’re the ones with the tangled

hair and the red-eyed looks outside Gucci stores

hoping for a tenner that’ll get us a tin of shoe-polish

that’ll keep the hunger away until you throw away

that stale wadapao. No problem, we’ll clear off.

Tattoos – Tapestry

"Clear off” you said, "no space for beggars,

VIP movement is on, move on, move on”

So rejected root, stem and flower by you

we moved on, and that wasn’t such a problem

You wage war on us wanting our annihilation

for we’re the flotsam, the jetsam, the unwanted

we bloom invisible, undesirable

among your well-laid out ornamentals -

c/o footpath. We’re the ones with the tangled

hair and the red-eyed looks outside Gucci stores

We could be someone else’s invaluable blossoms

worth the warmth of nurturing hearts and homes

if replanted tenderly; but we are at times privileged to hope

for a tenner that’ll get us a tin of shoe-polish

and that stale wadapao you throw away;

those will BE the healing powers we flourish in

that keep the hunger away while redeeming our emptiness.

No problem, we’ll clear off.

(First published at Rate My Literature, 1 September 2016)

What is tapestry poetry?