For the next 14 days, I’m taking part in the Storytelling Collective’s April Daily Poem challenge. Each day, they’ll give participants a prompt and we have to write a poem that fits it.
Prompt: Nemophilist
In the leaves, I do hide
Behind the oaks, tall and wide
Waiting for a human to step inside
To blunder past the great divide
As they walk so proud and straight
I will admire their hair and gait
Then with a whistle, I’ll dangle bait
And wait for curiosity to seal their fate
My mushroom ring will fill their sight
They’ll step inside without a fight
The second they do, their soul benight
As my darlings spread their blight
A cloud of spores fills the air
Ready to grab and ensnare
Each is different, so I compare
As human skin starts to tear
They make such noise as they transform
Like a tree caught in a winter storm
Twisting and shifting like a swarm
As their bodies become dendriform
Until with a crack, one thing is remains
A tiny mushroom in the verdant plains
A little red cap with no human brains
Fully bound in its earthen chains
Then I step out, and I enjoy the forest
Knowing I am its most ardent florist
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, artist, and tabletop roleplaying game designer who has written for CBR, Polygon, Nintendo Life, Gayley Dreadful, Enbylife, and many other publications. They have also published several popular and highly-praised tabletop roleplaying games including “You Have One Ability….The Ability To Fuck This Up,” “Macarons, Milkshakes, And Magic,” and “Wander Wizards.”
Jonathon has always been fascinated by media, from the big hitters to the small, obscure, and often overlooked titles that linger on the sidelines, capturing both the on and off-camera stories that make these shows so fascinating.
Jonathon is also a major anime fan, having been exposed to the medium through shows like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Since then, Jonathon has maintained a passion for anime, watching most new shows each season and hunting down overlooked gems from previous ones.