the Poet & the Bean-Stalk

She plants words with trepidation,

unsure of their reception

in a world quick to mow weeds.

She tends her seedlings,

loathe to water them down,

as they spring from her source.

Once germinated, words mushroom

like that magical bean-stalk,

lengthening and strengthening,

an offering for others to climb.

Even if some wield axes, draw blood,

her words hold up, sturdy and perennial.

"Rosalie" by Virginia Francis Sterrett

Kerry's challenge to the Real Toads features the storybook illustrations of Virginia Francis Sterrett. Poem 20 of 30 in April!