Among fronds of supple green—
blossoms, caressed by breeze and leaf,
spread their petals like sacred offerings;
rusty red, buttery yellow, the sharp citrus tang of orange,
arms flung wide, pinwheeling in the gladness of sunlight.
They sway with the swell of summer's breath.
"Look at me!" they call to passers by.
The Daylily opens for only one precious day.
A petaled plume unfolds with the rising of the sun,
announcing its arrival with a burst of color
and feathered sepals.
Yet, by night fall, that bold blossom draws in on itself,
until only the folded husk of spent flower
clings to the stem.
That bloom has had its day,
has given all it will ever have
to a world
whose head was turned in its hour of glory.
Another bud may open the next morning,
but not the same one again.
For its life of one summer's day,
it was Queen of the garden.
The brave banner that trumpeted its existence
to no pair of admiring eyes
will never gild this singular place again.
One blossom,
one day—
a solitary moment to add
one whispered word to the lofty tome of eternity.
image: maxpixel.net (free to use)
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There are valuable lessons to be learnt here…
To be appreciative of brief happiness, and
to consider the value of
short lived experiences…
I love Lilacs blossoming each year…they are
relatively short lived, but welcomed and warmly
anticipated because of this…
The Daylily flings it’s beauty out to the world
for one single day…but is loved and anticipated
all the more because of it…
A real treat of a poem!
Best wishes,
Diana…🍃
We found wild tiger lilies growing by the roadside in Arkansas and dug some up. Planted them by the back fence that got the full summer sunlight and heat here in Houston's bad soil neighborhood. For several years they came up every year and spread. Finally running out of good nutrients and died. But I still remember the resilience of that tiger lily that we transplanted.
Ron