Few suspect my double life, 'twould make a dandy thriller.
My poker face does not reflect the fact that I'm a killer.
I'm not your average murderess -- deceptive nomenclature.
My victims are botanical. (They're of a plant-like nature.)

My methods are diversified but always I'm discreet.
I subtly assassinate each struggling sprout I meet.
Drowning often does them in but then sometimes it's drought.
Frequently it's too much shade that snuffs their young lives out.

Begonias are my favorite prey. They never live to tell.
Impatiens die before their time. I guess it's just as well.
So never leave your plants with me - this message I implore --
Or else your healthy Wandering Jew won't wander any more.

© by Lois Corcoran.
This poem won the 2015 Reader's Digest poetry contest.
Used here with the author's permission.