Dear herb, shrub, vine and bush
if you be deemed unwanted or a pest,
your name is cursed to be unspoken,
or twisted into a foul nickname scourge.
To graziers you are Paterson\'s Curse
To beekeepers you are Salvation Jane.
No one knows your real name except,
the gardeners who planted you
in their garden beds, from which you spread.
The once loved, when lost are cursed.
Let\'s name a few: Fireweed, Freckle face, Koster\'s curse,
Lady-of-the-night, Mother-of-millions,
Sea spurge, Tree-of-heaven, Sticky Willy
What crime did these plants commit to be
put in stocks in a public place
and spat at?
- Outgrow the wanted plants and spread
- Prolific breeders
- Sprout from leaves and tiny pieces
- Produce millions of seeds
- Fruits loved by birds that scatter the seed in droppings
- Grow well every where with ease.
- Sticky seeds and burrs
- Not fickle nor demanding of conditions.
Each of these are what growers want and love
in other plants, they love to grow
in their gardens, fields and pastures.
Too much of a good thing is deemed a curse.
So their name is defaced and
replaced with foul sounding nicknames
listed as noxious, wanted dead,
on the Wanted Posters.