Lit eZine Vol 7 | p-11 | FICTION | Thistle – Manic Sylph Writes… Poetry & Thoughts by Mona Soorma

MICRO FICTION

THISTLE
by Beth Sherman

A Bee on a thistle flower — *Image by* *Ralphs_Fotos*

What Snow White wished she gave the Queen, back when she was porcelain pretty. What they once used to ward off the plague. Known as the most despised plant in the world. That’s right – the world. A flower only Eeyore the donkey could love. In his gloomy field, rather boggy and sad, they tilt their spiny leaves, scattered across the grass like stars. Christopher Robin pays them no mind. You walk past too, without a second look, crushing them under your heel. Oblivious to tiger swallowtails kissing lavender pink blossoms. Gulping nectar. Flirting. Thistledown seeds dispersed by the wind. Bees playing hide and seek in the flowerheads. They do not exist for you and when I point them out, you shrug, say it’s just a weed. Worthless. Common. You choose what to value. What to cherish or discard. You toss my prickly bouquet in a trash bin by the Port-a-Potty at the end of the trail. I will end up there soon, with the crushed beer cans and used condoms. No longer supple or glossy enough. The thistle nods its shaggy purple head. Pluck me, it dares. Yank me from the soil – six more will bloom.

Connect with Beth Sherman on her website

Beth Sherman’s writing has been published in more than 100 literary magazines, including Portland Review, Tiny Molecules, 100 Word Story, Fictive Dream, and Bending Genres. Her work is featured in Best Microfiction 2024. She’s also a Pushcart, Best Small Fictions, and multiple Best of the Net nominee. She can be reached at @bsherm36 or on her site