A thin strip of ground
stretches along the foot path
in front of the car wash.
It’s just a couple of inches wide
and looks for all the world
as if it’s just stones
and gravel.

And yet there’s life here.

Several hardy plants
have taken root –
a few nettles
and a tiny sycamore tree!

Some work man has lined up
a series of traffic cones
along this narrow strip.
And guess what has popped its head
out of one of the traffic cones?

A nettle!

There it stands –
about two inches of nettle
nodding in the breeze
and quivering in the sunlight
on this sunny May evening.

Wow!
This wee nettle
is surely one of nature’s gladiators
as it battles for life
against all odds!

Thank you, Lord,
for this wee nettle,
this slightly-straggly beacon of hope
reminding me
to keep fighting
during those times
when life unexpectedly
throws a spanner in the works.

© Claire Murray, 15th May 2019