Staring the future down with marijuana eyes
she lost him in past games of
"shrub or tree?"
He grew evergreen
while she remained
-- naked weed --
too weak for his dandelion chain
Author notes
prompt:
The Rock Queen by KnightFlyte96, deviantart.
ever play "shrub or tree" in primary school?
maybe it was just my friends and I who played this game cause I can't find anything online to explain it. LOL... it's basically a guessing game where you take those common weeds that kinda look like little trees with buds on them I don't know what they're called really and push all the buds up off the weed leaving a "naked weed" depending how many buds were on the weed and the shape of it pinched between your fingers tells you if it's going to be a "tree" or a "shrub". Then we used to take the "naked weed" and tie them to the end of dandelions if they were strong and long enough as chain links.
Weird, I know.
(just found out it's called "quack grass" and exclusive to Ontario, Canada. It's REALLY common here, I didn't realize it didn't exist elsewhere 
)
quack grass (for reference) :
This poem does have a deeper meaning:
the dandelion chain and evergreen (tree) = life off drugs
the naked weed too weak for his dandelion chain = the drugged life
I really didn't want to explain this letter for letter but the meaning got totally lost to my readers without it.
Wow, all that for a 30 word poem!! 
In a list
A contest entry
- QUICKIE! by perfectsunset.
625 points, ended August 4, 6 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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I definitely understand where you were
coming from now that I've read your
author's notes. I have never played that
game, but the way you've described it
here I could tell others clearly about it
as if I've played it myself
I love the concept here; how you've managed
to use the metaphors as a deep canopy for
what truly lies behind them.. and once
unveiled... VOILA! ... you get your poetic food!
I like the reference to drugs as well;
this was a very originally composed
piece, and kudos to you for producing such beautY!
Best of luck & thanks for entering
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hehehe! we had a similar grass, and we would count the grains to see who we were going to marry - tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggarman, thief - but we just threw the stalks away...damn, now I'm remebering chosing teams by bumping fists to 'one potato two potato three potato four...
For me, and this is only my own taste, if you take out 'for marijuana eyes' and 'weed' you have a much stronger poem.
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Okay! Now the poem makes more sense! I really like it now!!
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I loved the nice colorful adjectives that were incorporated in the write.
Question?
How do you play shrub or tree?
Anyways.
Good luck to you!
Safely hidden in the darkness,
~ The Rocker Who Lost All -
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I posted an explanation.
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I loved this poem
Its meaning of which left a puzzle in my mind
Yet its beautiful and no I have never played the game
but you painted thoughts that drew me in
Good luck Julie
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