Ode to Frederick

I sit outside on the patio
That is too small for three chairs
And contemplate the pot of ivy that I sort of nursed through the winter.

His name is Frederick.
And he brings his own seating arrangements,
Which is good
Because the patio is too small
For me and and he and J
To sit and enjoy the mild evening.

Frederick,I thought, died sometime between Christmas and New Years
When I forgot to water him
For months
On end.
But he survived, a resilient bit of ivy.
And his new green growth graces the patio that is
Too small for three chairs.