Living as me, in a time when
Fear ruled
Just about everything
I thought
and did — It was

A new experience
When I
Walked to school
Under the pass,

Heart clenched in terror
At sights of
Unruly branches and weeds
Almost as tall as me
Burst through unkempt,
Overtaken sidewalks

In a city where
Nature is tamed and
Kept in line,
Unallowed to break through.

Graffiti overtaken
By ivy
Climbing up the sediment stones
Under the curve of the pass
Creates
A surreal sight, as if
I were in an entirely different
World

From the tamed
Nicety
Of my city.

When I emerged from
The pass, I swore I just
Was transported
Back to normality

But then I met the
Iron Eaters;
Trees along fences
That do not simply break
But instead assimilate
Their metal
Into their bark