Green Shield

I spotted a lichen
amidst the traffic.
It’s not escapism.

Lichen, you are wise
not to play some human
tune, and then crumble.

As if  there were nothing
but property ladders.

You are too tenacious
to succumb. We are too
obstinate to concede.

Lichen, don’t get skeletal
like a detachable leaf.

Source: Poetry (October 2020)