She Told Me

She told me about the woman
Who thought beans on the vine were free
Who took what she needed from the vine
Everyone had planted, watered, weeded, fed.

She mentions her sometimes
When HGTV murmurs and I'm at the backdoor
Pointing out those five tomato plants
The dogs & mockingbirds ravaged.

She remembers the fields, the family;
Some of them on the couch, some,
Like the birds, have swept by,
Brief shadows on warm skin.

Raise me up like a vine with the sunlight,
Fly me by like a thief on the wing,
Drop me like a prayer on the good soil,
Lift me into the long summer green.

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The above was written during tonight's WordCrafters prompt exercise in response to the painting The Angelus.