Kudzu

In the Deep South
When the summer air is
Hot
Heavy
Humid …
The moss drips from the trees
And kudzu threatens to overtake
Everything.

There is a quiet beauty as it envelopes
An abandoned farmhouse,
Softens the dead woods,
Vines over stumps and shrubs …
Changing the appearance of the roadside.

At night,
Large, looming Kudzu clothed figures
Stand watch over dark corridors
As weary travelers hurry on
To snug destinations.

As the days grow shorter
The heat less oppressive …
The plant life cycle enters its winter phase and
Kudzu
Shows it’s suffocating nature.
Bereft of foliage
Everything that it beautifully covered
in lush green
A few short months ago
Is left dead in the Kudzu’s wake
Beneath tight
Dark,
Tangled vines.