Their blue-purple petals throb
against the shade, the ruffled hedge
that contains their wild abandon.
Invasive Species: the label is official,
sanctioned by the Board of Agriculture.
Do not trust their beauty, we are told.
They will take the yard. Glance away
and their roots become entrenched,
their conquest a genocide.
They demand little – a patch of shade,
whatever moisture rain provides,
soil non-descript, space, some useless corner.
They provide abundance, blooms without
exhaustion from spring thaw to first frost.
Their fragile trumpets rise in unkempt legions,
these femme fatales of the genus violassia,
beautiful but dangerous.
