Ode to Nature’s Most Invasive Conspiracy … the Burrs

Diverse nature produces many sticky weeds like beggar ticks,

Hound’s tongues, puncture vines … but, the worst to eradicate

Is the burdock plant with velcro-tenacity growing up to 10 ft tall

With flower heads drying into prickly burrs of tiny hooked slivers,

Clinging to any passerby, people or animal’s manes, hair, wool

Or under eyelids causing infections, vision loss or painful mouth sores.

Problematic long tap-root is difficult to control; manually or herbicidally,

Scattering thousands of seeds, staying viable for up to 10 years.

BEWARE the human equivalent of a tyrannical tap-root burdock

With white-blossomed promises disseminating lies in an ecosystem

Of domestic terrorists and cowardly one-party tyrants denying elections,

Normalizing hate of them “lizard people who drink children’s blood.”

Avoid latching unto these vision-blurring burrs, dig out the grift and guns,

Protect your right for a true, independent, natural system of democracy.

Annemarie Berukoff