A Bouquet

Iris
The calico’s eyes
bloom blue-yellow
in the window sill,
alchemical gold.

Sunflower
Towering over wired archways,
these guardians of hoop houses
offer their bodies for butter,
oil, lotion, birdfeed, or biodiesel.

Poppy
Armistice & remembrance,
women who caught whiffs
of independence in a San
Franciscan back alley way.

Morning Glory
Unopened spirals
oozing dewdrops,
showing up right on time
donning periwinkle flare.

Azalea
Fancying shade near, or under trees.
or enflamed in one of Sylvia’s poems—
every spring, Gran plucked a few, propped
them in green jars at the dinner table.

Redbud
Under the Japanese Red Maple,
the redheaded tykes played in the yard.
Under & around the dogwood,
the redheaded tykes played with each other.

Mum
Nothing satisfies the urge
like pinching a seedpod
between baby index & thumb
in budding memories.

Chrysanthemum
Shot up from rootstock,
these fireworks explode
spreading red across the dusk
of moonlit blue grass.

Dahlia
Their diameter ranges from Spanish thimble
to Aztec dinner plate. Bright spirals
in a gaping mouth of pink teeth
like the gaseous jaws of stars.