Exorbitant 
dollars spent 
inexorably 
bringing outside
in,
perfuming days
the grey of a hastily erased 
chalkboard.
-
White tulips tight and virginal
heave and drape
at the mildest suggestion 
of heat;
trembling cherry blossoms
their fleeting beauty 
a wake-up call to consciousness;
quince blossoms 
begging contemplation 
of life’s potentials
bitter as the fruit 
gossamer as the flower;
a magnolia branch
tall, isolated
pilfered 
from an abandoned lot
its leaves as magnanimous
as its bear paw of a flower.
-
Tinkling gutters
keep seasonal time
the delighted screech
of drenched birds,
glistening citrus
the soggy longing of 
the camellia flower 
enveloped in winter.
-
#winter #flowers #tulips #winterincalifornia 
 (at At Home in Napa)

