Hollyhocks

This is another bit of ancient history, of course ... the memories of those excursions to the bluffs to gather that rich soil ... those furry-jacketed seed, saved year-to-year by Grandma ... the resulting flowers.

They are such sweet memories. I still find great comfort in them ... and in the poem itself. No surprise that I share it at almost all of my poetry readings ... including a program, "Poets Respond to Art," at the Dayton Art Institute ... and when I was invited to join "Emily's Boys" for a reading at Christ Episcopal Church, Dayton.

Yes, I do readings. You may have gathered that I really believe it when I say: Poetry is meant to be shared.

But relax. I haven't quite resorted to going door-to-door to inflict my poetry on the unsuspecting ... yet.

I do appreciate those, though, who stop by here to take a look ... to pause to listen ... to let the words wash over them ... to let me share. And I hope they ... and you ... leave with a feeling of having dined on poetry ... or at least now have an appetite that's newly whetted for more ... here, there ... everywhere.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Oh, and the illustration today is a small watercolor I did some time ago. It also went on to bigger things ... becoming the cover art for that second collection of poems.

Now, the poem:

HOLLYHOCKS

We went to the bluffs,
up the narrow path
along the spine of the ridge,
up where the tall oaks
clustered among the rocks,
where the soil was dark
and crumbly, cool to our
digging fingers, and piled
that loose, rich soil
into a coal bucket,

lugged it back in many
trips to a dedicated circle
of depleted yellow clay
behind the house,
heaping this found food
there for furry-jacketed
seed from a deep pocket
of Grandma's apron,

and they became the most
sun-catching, bee-luring,
beautiful flowers
I had ever seen, almost
as though God had just
said: Let there be
hollyhocks.

And there were.
© 1999

("Hollyhocks" received an honorable mention in the Dayton, Ohio, Metro Library Contest in 1999, and went on to become the title poem of my second collection of poetry, published by Finishing Line Press in 2007)

Today's word: bee-luring

Afterthoughts ... in response to your comments:

Thank you, This and That, for dropping by again, and leaving that bouquet of words ... I enjoy painting, whether with watercolors or words.