The Value of Plant Life

When the conversation

turns ugly,

veers into

politics,

steers toward

my-way-or-

the-highway

rhetoric,

I often

become that

potted plant

and quietly

fade out of

a hostile conversation.

I choose my battles

carefully,

unwilling to

jeopardize

a friendship

or kinship

just to make

a fleeting,

meaningless

observation.

If only others

would opt for

a plant's life

when choosing battles.