VERDANT GREENERY

Verdant greenery
Abundant, lush, and, living,
Silently waiting.

Waiting for creatures
To foolishly walk near,
Vines and branches lash out.

Winding around bodies
Of their chosen prey,
To leech their blood away.

Victims squeal in terror
As the plants devour them,
Unable to break free.

Humans hide like rats
In sunken burrows,
Only going out at night.

Underground living
Is better than dying,
To feed the hungry plants.

At night the foliage
Sleeps harmlessly,
So humans go out to feed.

Silently they stalk
Animals to slaughter,
Then take to their burrows.

Afraid to eat outside,
They risk asphyxiation,
Cooking underground.

Before break of dawn
They must escape the forest,
Even without food.

Unless the CO2
Spewed out by the plants.
Overcomes the humans.

Then collapsing unconscious
They are ready food for,
Plants at first light.

A verdant planet
Where plant life rules the forest,
Animals are prey.

THE END
© Copyright 2023, Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia