Peony Poem
an idea
sudden, surprising
like red peony shoots
the first color in a spring garden
a draft
leafy, bushy
too much green, but with buds
sweet enough to attract ants
a poem
lopsided, fragrant
overly showy, flamboyant, glorious
cut for a vase or for a grave
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017
This poem was written for Melissa Manlove's challenge at Today's Little Ditty: "Write me a poem that explores how writing (or a book) is like something else. Convince me!"
Margaret has today's Poetry Friday Roundup at Reflections on the Teche.
Lovely comparison, Mary Lee. I especially like the "showy, flamboyant, glorious". Like the smile of a poet who shares a poem with an appreciative world. :-)
ReplyDeleteI will look at my peonies with even more appreciation now that I've read this poem. What a great comparison!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I was away this week at a statewide conference while in the midst of my peony bush ready to pop. I am thrilled that you wrote this lovely poem to accompany the process of creation. Would you offer this one to my spring gallery? Please send me your poem and photo so I can include them? If I capture them from this page, the poem will be too small to see, I think.
ReplyDeleteMy peonies seem ready, yet those buds are still, "buds". And, yes, the ants are there, too. The connection to carrying them to the cemetery takes me back to my childhood. We did that on Memorial Day, cutting those "sweet" blooms for those we had loved. Beautiful, Mary Lee!
ReplyDeleteI will always prefer flowers growing in the Earth/on the tree rather than cut!
ReplyDeleteI love peonies, I love this poem, and I love that you were able to contribute to this month's ditty challenge, Mary Lee! That third stanza is also a worthy comparison to life in general, don't you think? Lopsided and fragrant, and all the rest. Thank you for writing and sharing, Mary Lee.
ReplyDeleteMy drafts are not usually "sweet enough to attract ants", but with continued revision the sweetness sometimes comes. Great analogy, Mary Lee! =)
ReplyDeleteVery cool analogy, Mary Lee. Love how you take us through the first flowering of an idea to the trimming of a draft, and then a final poem. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! Poetry is so much like gardening, isn't it? Planting seeds, watering, pruning, and eventually enjoying the beauty of the final product! It can be a lot of work, but so very worth it. :-)
ReplyDeleteOur peonies will be opening pretty soon up here. I always wished they had more smell and fewer ants, but when my mother explained that they couldn't open without the ants' help, I forgave them. Now I have learned that that isn't exactly the case, but the ants do keep other insects at bay as they enjoy the nectar.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful image of peonies and writing!
My favorite flower of Spring. Memories of my grandfather's farm and now at our home. Happy vacation my friend!!
ReplyDeleteLove the structure of this--each stanza works so well in the peony and writing process!
ReplyDeleteOh, that last line. Devastating.
ReplyDeleteWe have two varieties of peony in our yard, including the one in your picture.
Oh peonies are one of my most favorites and I love how you carry them through the writing process. Interesting, my friend.
ReplyDeleteLovely peonies and poems, cut for me to read today. Thanks for sharing! Happy Summer!
ReplyDeleteLove how you got ants into the poem. They are always around doing their work, oblivious to us all.
ReplyDeleteLovely peony poem and image Mary Lee! I can picture the anticipation in the poem-peony about to open-and one writing. My peonies are just about ready to POP!
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly right, Mary Lee! Those first "red peony shoots" are a gladsome sight!
ReplyDeleteAnd we, the writers, are those tiny ants crawling around the peony/poem bud encouraging it to blossom. Love this, and it also served as a reminder for me to get the ring around my peonies quick before they open! -- Christie @ https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/blog/
ReplyDelete...and we readers are like the ants, in that symbiotic relationship: without them, the poem cannot truly bloom.
ReplyDeletebuds sweet enough to attract ants! Yes! Yes also to the lopsidedness, which is what makes a thing beautiful. I think you did a beautiful job with the challenge, Mary Lee -- I'm convinced! xo
ReplyDeleteOh, my.....impossible choice vase or grave. What beautiful sounds in the complicated words. Nicely done!
ReplyDelete