Remember me? I am Moe, the 5 feet snake plant from Nigeria. I have been happily basking in the sun in my wonderful new home with my fantastic mama. But you won’t be surprised to hear that I have a complaint. I may be spoilt, but this complaint is justified.
Mama’s apartment might be nice and big, but my home was really cramped. I had outgrown my pot, but nothing was being done to ease my discomfort. It was like living in a one-bedroom apartment with 10 adults. My roots were about to burst out of the pot, but mama seemed oblivious to my discomfort.
Unlike the cat that shared our home, I had no voice. I couldn’t whine and cry to get attention. I also had no feet; I was fixed in one spot. So, I could not twist around mother’s legs or jump on her lap to get her attention. I tried using telepathy, but that didn’t work either. Something had to be done. But what? I had heard of plants bursting through their pots before they are moved into larger homes, but I didn’t want to wait for that to happen. I wanted more room, and I wanted it now. After all, mama lived in this huge two-bedroom apartment with lots of room so why did I have to live in cramped quarters?
I finally hit on a plan to get her attention. It meant making a big sacrifice, but I was willing to do it. I talked to my leaves and we decided that one of them had to break away – it was the only way to get mother’s attention. When mama saw one of the leaves had broken off, she was distraught. Still, she did nothing. A second leaf sacrificed itself before she finally got the message.
Not long after, mama moved us into a new home. The fresh, new soil felt oh, so good, and there was so much more room for us to spread our roots and grow. It felt like heaven. But more importantly, we could hold our leaves up high because we were now living a life of luxury. We were one of the uptown plants!
