Mock Orange Blossoms

Early summer flowering deciduous shrubs, 
And I among them came and went with
Philadelphus virginalis,
Their brightening solar ships.

Its natural tendency is to grow vase-shaped,
Clipping encourages the plant to fill out 
And become dense, and in my final spring
It performed beautifully, flowering prolifically.


Mock orange is not a heavy feeder.
It loves sun and reads memories 
On cactus leaves with sideways glares, 
Though on an "established" plant, 
One should prune out about one-third 
Of the old growth (the trivialities of life's Agur), 
Allowing the gloried lightness of day 
To seize upon bright green leaves.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2009

Poem

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Moreno Avatar
September 29, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Matt, congratulations on making the first round of the contest...Raul
 Avatar
September 25, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Nice use of imagery. Congratulations on making it through the first round in the contest. Good luck in the finals! Karen
Richards Avatar
September 24, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Good luck in the next round, and hearty Congratulations for making it through the first one!! ~ Carrie
Sheart Avatar
September 24, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Congrats!!! Love Light Truth Patricia
Devonshire Avatar
September 24, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Congratulations on being in the round-one finals! Love, Carolyn
Brown Avatar
September 24, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Congratulations on your poem making it through the first round.Wishing you the best in the finals. Love, Carol
Strand Avatar
September 24, 2009 at 9:10 AM
Well done, Matt best wishes in the next rounds.Rgds Brian
Adeite Avatar
August 29, 2009 at 9:29 AM
This is a wonderful, awesome… poem, worth featuring..; I love every bit of it. You are such a great poet. Please keep writing and congrats on your poem being featured this week. Hope to read more of your wonderful poems. You are great friend! Adeleke
Fraser Avatar
August 28, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Congratulations on your poetry being featured this week>>James
Richards Avatar
August 24, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Wow...such creative description! Excellent work here, Matt...well deserving this featured section! Well done! ~ Carrie
Rider Avatar
August 24, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Congratualtions on being featured this week! Wonderful poem! ~Trudy~
Brown Avatar
August 24, 2009 at 3:41 AM
Congratulations on your poetry being featured this week Matt. Love, Carol
Christian Avatar
August 24, 2009 at 2:09 AM
congratulations on your featured poem, God bless you from diane
Strand Avatar
August 24, 2009 at 12:14 AM
Congrats on your feature poem this week Matt.Rgds Brian
Caliri Avatar
April 7, 2009 at 8:40 PM
For example, the following is the only part of the poem that I made up: And I among them came and went with Their brightening solar ships. and in my final spring It loves sun and reads memories On cactus leaves with sideways glares, (the trivialities of life's Agur) Allowing the gloried lightness of day To seize upon bright green leaves. The rest I copied off a how-to site. Every other line. I find it interesting that it still talks about flowers though Ive cut half of it out.
Caliri Avatar
April 7, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Just to clarify...I wrote this poem about a half hour after realizing I "owned" mock orange blossoms...they grew along the side of the stairs to my place, as my brother/roommate discovered. I remembered wearing a leis of mock oranges for a high school graduation (I went to school in hawaii where they have such traditions...and live here now), and the smell was like no other flower... I wrote this after reading online how to care for them...every other line is instructional;the other "poetic"
Devonshire Avatar
April 7, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Love the way you provide a vivid image of the orange shrub and also convey how to care for it. Very nice, Matt!
P. Avatar
April 6, 2009 at 4:38 AM
the title did make me want to read this ... but i sure didn't know all that you write there ... really cool write! ~ Arany
Taylor Avatar
April 5, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Interesting and very informative! I loved the imagery.
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