More Northwest Plants and Flowers
First published in Wales Haiku Journal, 11 August 2020, under the original title of “Northwest Plants and Flowers.” I’ve added “More” to the title here to pair these nineteen poems with the twenty-three poems in “Northwest Plants and Flowers” (plus three additional poems). I originally wrote all forty-five poems in August of 2009, mostly about Pacific Northwest plants and flowers (a few plants are not native but have been transplanted to the area).
vine maples—
as the trail straightens
we fall into step
a white birch
cut for the winter—
storm windows on the cabin
English hawthorn leaves
rub against my arm—
a ladybug in your hair
feeling romantic
under the pin oaks
by myself
red chokeberry
in the overpass shadow
crumpled lotto ticket
black chokeberry
for sale at the nursery
we leave with nothing
purple chokeberry
the skywriter’s writing
backwards
California wax myrtle
that neighbour girl
who was mean to me
purpleleaf ninebark
how does she know
how much sun I need?
the alpine water fern
catches my attention
when the snake has gone
wilted deer fern clipping
an interracial kiss
on TV
as far as I can see
in the undergrowth
Japanese tassel fern
a long putt for par
out of soft shield fern
the jet contrail gone
evergold sedge
I forget which way
we came on the trail
yellow fawn lily
a stone on the trail
not from here
snowy woodrush
the gravel foundry ruins
now a golf course
my hand touches
greater woodrush
cricket chorus
poached egg plant
she tells me in her garden
isn’t a food
planting serviceberry
the park ranger
talking to herself
