They call me weed
but I am flower
wild, again, again
I spring surprise
Demeter’s daughter
newborn windborn
I arise, plumes flying
defying the reaper’s cuts
triumphant against
the green despair of grass.
Mary Alice Dixon
Mary Alice Dixon lives in Charlotte, North Carolina where she volunteers with hospice, grows tomatoes and shares her garden with eastern cottontails. She is a Pushcart nominee, Pinesong Poetry Award winner, and was shortlisted for the Anthology Poetry Competition 2022 Award. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including Kakalak, Main Street Rag, North Dakota Quarterly, and Stonecoast Review. Mary Alice reads her poem October Hands at https://www.thefourthriver.com/o10-content/2021/4/2/october-hands. Her Bride of Wild is in The Petigru Review at https://thepetigrureview.com/mary-alice-dixon/.