THE CULTIVATED BULB


Held in high esteem by Gertrude Jekyll,
he'll soon be leaving Prospect Cottage
for the Isles of Scilly where frost
is rare and snow unknown.

Bermuda buttercups, dwarf pansies,
poppies and marigolds,
the cultivated bulb is looking forward
to making new friends:
the knee-high rosy garlic,
the Scilly bees
and common blue butterflies,
the meadow browns
that favour the hills of these islands.

Touched by sub-tropical warmth,
the cultivated bulb
may decide to grow flowers
or simply nest in a bed of straw.