Billy Renkl Illustration

Metastatic

In spring the bush honeysuckle shelters the bluebird fledglings and the brown wrens. In summer the honeysuckle flowers open to the eager bees. In fall the honeysuckle feeds the cedar waxwings, who cling to the bending stems and pass the berries to flock mates who cannot reach. In winter the honeysuckle waits, gathering itself to spring forth, to wrap its roots around what rightly belongs. To choke it out.