the cucumbers in the garden have a lot of room
to roam, to run
but instead they try to climb the tomatillo plant
or the sunflowers
no matter how many times we tell them, “no”

the teenagers in the house have a lot of time
to roam, to run
but instead they try to stretch the boundaries of curfews
or chores
no matter how many times we tell them, “no”

we pick the cucumbers and bring them in the house
to pickle
or eat in sandwiches

we watch the teenagers grow up and leave
to blossom
and eventually bloom