Second Place: Plain to Patterned Backyard Evolution by Teresa TL Bruce

Shy, finger-width tree-gators hid in view,

wizards of magic-quick-change, acrobats.

Deep-earth twiggy backs turned, leaped, flashed, matched Spring’s

brightest greens, mud-rich hues already shed.

Generations older, bolder, broader—

speedsters in muted, diamond-dotted stripes—

dash through years and yards, flee chasing children,

trade genes of old brilliance for traits of haste.