The Darling Buds – Lily

we smuggled tiger lilies

when we moved

confidently planting our

flags of vibrant triumph

in new fertile soil

 

less triumphant

we bought the next ones

local – adapted to the climate

of somewhere that was not

our garden

friends got involved – determined

by honor to share a hundred years

of survival and vibrancy that made

excellent mulch

it was our honor to announce

that really

we only liked day

lilies anyways

Lily – Honor

Every May (and sometimes into June), I do a series of poems based on Victorian flower meanings. Welcome to the Darling Buds.

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For more honor (and even more Honor), my fantasy novel, The Guests of Honor, is available here. Its sequel, With Honor Intact, can be found here.

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The Darling Buds- Geranium

This is not

a poem about roses

even though I tried to grow

them – too cold

they said and I closed my

ears and grabbed more

shovels

the third dead rose bush

only provided mulch

for the fourth

 

digging up is hard

 

when I found myself watching late

night infomercials and taking

notes on magical growth remedies I

took a deep breath

and spoke to my

mother

I try to pretend that the

geraniums

don’t look smug

Geranium- Stupidity

Every May (and sometimes into June), I do a series of poems based on Victorian flower meanings. Welcome to the Darling Buds.

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For more stupidity (and occasional genius), my fantasy novel, The Guests of Honor, is available here. Its sequel, With Honor Intact, can be found here.

 

The Darling Buds – Violet

there is always an uneasy truce

between

small black cats who

love flowers almost as much

as making closed doors open

and our larger dreams of rich blossoms

and unshattered pottery

watch

wait

black cats with patience

smokelike

emerging triumphant

curled behind the locked

door in a pot

of african violets

Violet – Watchfulness

Every May (and sometimes into June), I do a series of poems based on Victorian flower meanings. Welcome to the Darling Buds.

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For more watchfulness (or lack of watchfulness), my fantasy novel, The Guests of Honor, is available here. Its sequel, With Honor Intact, can be found here.