Kimberly Esslinger

I may be stating the obvious, but I think of plants as beings—alive and conscious. I don’t presume to know what they are thinking or feeling at any time, but through poetry, or poetic inquiry, I can make leaps in my understanding. Are they aware? Do they feel pain? Do they communicate with each other? We now know the answer is yes. But there are other questions I have, like do they have vanity, ego, do they crave attention, experience shame, or desire love? In my poem, “To The El Dorado Community Garden Rules Committee”, which is based loosely on a true story, I explore these themes with a bit of whimsy and melancholy. That said, perhaps these are things we, plants and humans, all have in common.