I knew the two pots of perriwinkle\u2014
\nnarrow suspicious leaves, shy purple blossoms\u2014
\nbut the rest of the greenhouse specimens
\nwere really strangers to me; I didn’t know a mauve
\none from a red
\none, nor a geranium from a mum one<\/p>\n
I just carry the ones
\nshe indicates from the table to the cart
\nto the quick count at the cash register
\nto our trunk to the back porch
\nto await interment
\nmuch as the winter dead await
\ntheir day, a shipping label distinguishing
\nthe distinguished dead
\nthe label fluttering in the sunny May breeze
\nas the relatives gather
\nrelatively close to the memory
\nof that hard day last winter so far
\nso long been good to know you<\/p>\n
Don’t know these flowers
\nby name just by potential
\nto real gardeners they are old friends
\nbut to me they are anonymous<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I knew the two pots of perriwinkle\u2014 narrow suspicious leaves, shy purple blossoms\u2014 but the rest of the greenhouse specimens were really strangers to me; I didn’t know a mauve one from a red one, nor a geranium from a … Continue reading