Milkweed – Hollow Stalk, Promise (But Great Pic)
Hollow Stalk (and Promise) Man
Man, pocketing with others
empty breeze, 1930s,
promised the two kids
ten bucks for a milkweed, root
unbroken.
They dug the whole hot day, splintering, till, going wide, deep,
(unbroken) carried dirt-dripping triumph, delicately.
Alone, balking more
than the damn plant, he ditched them
with only a memory, though that grew
quite dear, over time.
*********************************************
The above is my Flash 55 Fiction for the G-Man, Mr. Know-it-all, who is wonderfully BACK!
My pic is of milkweed which seems quite attractive to butterflies. It is undoctored – there’s the shadow of a third swallowtail in there–crazy.
Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, UncategorizedTags: butterflies in milkweed, Flash Fiction 55, G-man, how memories are made, manicddaily, milkweed poem, Swallowtail butterfly pictures
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ManicDDaily 
July 13, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Karin…
What a beautiful story.
You always bring your ‘A’ Game to the Friday Funfest.
Loved your 55 AND the pic…:-)
Thanks for playing, thanks for your loyal support
And have a Kick Ass Week-End…G
July 13, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Thanks so much, Galen. k.
July 13, 2012 at 3:50 pm
After all that work, he didn’t stay and pay for the plant?! I had no idea the root system was so huge on those plants.
July 13, 2012 at 3:52 pm
I think so, and kind of brittle–that’s the big thing. They break easily. k.
Ps – no, he didn’t pay. k.
July 13, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Skinflint! *smiles*
July 13, 2012 at 6:03 pm
Enormously hard to transplant some of the butterfly plants . Asclepius is the same way. Loved the pic, and the 55, which tells a very mysterious bit of story.
July 13, 2012 at 9:49 pm
omg…that is a lot of work esp as you had to figure it out…good tenacity….
July 14, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Nice story K ~ Hard work for those two boys ~
July 14, 2012 at 2:13 pm
All that hard work and he didn’t pay them.. how bad! Love the pic especially with the butterflies. Great French prompt @ dVerse.
July 14, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Beautiful storytelling!
July 14, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Thanks, MZ.