It is not so hard
to rip out the arugula
after it’s bolted and
gone to seed. There’s
the initial wishing that
it weren’t so, that
the leaves were still
vibrantly green. But
they’re not. And so
the quick tug and
the roots come clean.
Sometimes you have
to pull up everything
to find the one thing
that cannot be removed.
That’s a whole lot
of riddance, much it
bindweed—rhizomal,
so extensive you
don’t know where
to start. I’m not talking about
the garden anymore,
I am talking about my heart.