Sap

I cut a branch off my plant and it bled white.

Milky white sap

The internet said it is toxic, will irritate your eyes and skin.

I googled to ask if my plant cried when I cut her.

If she was sad.

The internet told me it helps repel pests, gophers and deer.

They are not tears.

She said, if you cut me, die bitch.

She said it’s okay to make them regret taking a bite of your flesh, to make them burn for it.

She said it is okay to hurt those that hurt you.

Inside I am red.

If you cut me I will cry.

Clear tears.

And since there is the same amount of water now as there was when the earth began,

The drops that fall from my eyes are not new.

They have flowed down Niagara Falls,

Collected as white snow in the Himalayas,

Accumulated overhead on days that make your joints hurt.

When you hurt me, the whole history of life on this planet falls down my face.

I’m saying, if you cut me, die bitch.