Arlyn's Poems * TRAIL MIX

TRAIL MIX
STAY ON THE PATH

“Let’s see if the Sticky Monkey Flower
is sticky yet,”
my friend muses
as she wades through
the long brown grasses
“Yes,” she avows on contact

I take her word for it
The grasses have those sticky ends
that find their way into my socks
jab me
scratch me
follow me home

I think of them
all lined up
on either side of the path
as I pull those stickers
from my jean cuffs
before tossing them into the washer

I think of them
laughing in the moonlight
hoping I’ll visit again soon