Fake

Beauty and perfect are satisfying,

but you must be sure it is authentic.

It’s too real to be alive.

I touch the sharp points,

yet I feel no pain.

Three fake little succulents,

in a grey and white pot on my windowsill.

Like the centerpiece at a wedding reception.

A layer of glazed pebbles

hide the hardware underneath.

I’ve never had the courage,

or blind stupidity,

to touch the sharp points of a real succulent.

This one

green and plasticky.

The kind of green that fades and becomes opaque

when it reaches the center.

And plastic too hard to puncture with my fingernail.

Some leaves have wisteria tips.

Others,

with tips of faded auburn.

Beautiful,

yet fake.

It is the fake things

you need to look out for.