Vacant Lot with Pokeweed

    Tufts， follicles， grubstake

    biennial¹ rosettes， a low-

    life beach-blond scruff of

    couch grass： notwithstanding

    the interglinting dregs

    of wholesale² upheaval³ and

    dismemberment， weeds do not

    hesitate， the wheeling

    rise of the ailanthus halts

    at nothing——and look！ here's

    a pokeweed， sprung up from seed

    dropped by some vagrant⁴， that's

    seized a foothold： a magenta-

    girdered bower⁵， gazebo twirls

    of blossom rounding into

    raw-buttoned， garnet-rodded

    fruit one more wayfarer⁶

    perhaps may salvage⁷ from

    the season's frittering，

    the annual wreckage⁸.