Black Moon
A poem began to form
In my head
With
Cliche images of
Me planting daisy seeds
In my belly,
Sprouting them in my ribs,
And growing beautiful pink
Blossoms in my heart.
Only to have you crush them.
Knowing your contempt of
Daisies, I wrote of cultivating roses --
From seedling, sprout and bud
To long tapering stem with
Delicate petals
In the color of trite writing.
You smelled them, declared them
Fine, and uprooted them to
Plant your fragile
White daffodils with their own
Xanthous center
Whose corms spread
Throughout my being, offering
Perennial yet ephemeral hope.
Alas, in this trope, the blooms
Droop, the leaves wither and
Languish along the ground, blocking out
All but the bindweed that
Entwines itself around my insides.
I will not write that poem, though,
The one where I am but a vacant lot
And you are the squatter.
I will compose the poem wherein I
Sow in my core
Wild roses climbing up,
Encircling my heart and
Out my crown,
Replete with deep green leaves,
Cutting thorns, and
Spiraling blooms of crimson,
Coral, saffron, and
Amethyst.
My poem will be inscribed with
Fields of jasmine, lavender, poppies, sunflowers;
Orchards of mangoes, papayas,
Valencia oranges, persimmons, and lychee;
Forests of oak, maple, spruce, cedar, and cypress.
At the feet of my words will grow sweet peas,
spinach, pumpkins, potatoes, and peppers;
Rosemary, sage, and thyme; and
Mushrooms -- yes,
Varieties of edible mushrooms to
Nourish, cleanse, and connect
Through their mycelial web.
A Spring-fed River will water it all.
In this analogy, this imagery, this brand-new
Inscription,
If I write you into my indigenous forest to
Harvest for your table flowers, food, or
Vegetables for a flu-killer soup,
You will not pillage.
You may attempt to plant your
Narcissus bulbs,
But they will coexist among
Crocus, hyacinth, and iris.
Enter anyone who desires, but bring the
harvest of your own garden,
Flowers from your fields,
Fruits of your orchards, the
Offerings of your forest,
And together
We will prepare a feast and
Write a saga.
© 2019 Stephanie L Soder
