Ode to Your Plants by Jon Lemay

I had every intention of keeping your plants alive.
I remember how much you laughed when I said,

I can barely take care of myself, for God’s sake,
let alone another living thing—because you knew

it was true. I realized a month after you died
that your father had taken them back to New York

along with everything else of yours. In their absence, I noticed
how much sunlight streams through our kitchen window.

I wish I had left a note to your father.
Feel free to leave the plants here, I should have written.

I can keep them alive. I’ll learn.

Jon Lemay‘s poetry has previously appeared in Gravel, Popshot, and Folio. A graduate of Skidmore College, Jon currently teaches Upper School English at The Pennington School in New Jersey. He produces and hosts “Welcome to the Teachers’ Lounge,” a conversational podcast focused on the personal lives and careers of educators.

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