L Milton Hankins Poet Quatrain

Poinsettia

The poinsettia is such a magnificent plant
With bright red fronds, yellow-colored centers
Poinsettia trees growing tall like blazing towers
In Tanzania, we saw these gorgeous flowers.

I mentioned we pay a fortune for one blossom
And, I have never been able to keep one alive,
My guide said, “Here they are free! There, go
pick enough of them to fill a room, they thrive!”

written December 24, 2021
[Thinking of my translator
Clement, who had such a
wonderful sense of humor.]

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Caren Krutsinger December 28, 2021 at 4:06 AM I have never been able to keep one alive either, but I can kill any house plant just by looking at it. L Milton Hankins December 28, 2021 at 7:37 AM Deb was the same way. She would pass a houseplant and immediately decide it needed water. She would drown them. We could never have them because of that. Now, I have six or seven plants in my living room. I love them. They survive with benign neglect!

Rico Leffanta December 25, 2021 at 10:35 AM You should have collected Tanzanite, as that endures with just admiration! L Milton Hankins December 25, 2021 at 4:12 PM Actually, I've been there three times and it has always been against the law to bring tanzanite out of the country, so I never tried to sneak it through customs. You can buy tanzanite here in the state rather inexpensively now.

Connie Marcum Wong December 25, 2021 at 9:56 AM They need shelter from the wind and rain. My husband transplanted one into a larger pot and it lived and bloomed for four years before some kind of insect killed it. I am growing more this year in his memory. I enjoyed your poem Milton. Merry Christmas! Blessings xxoo L Milton Hankins December 25, 2021 at 9:58 AM Thanks so much, Connie. I've tried about everything, but I can't keep a poinsettia over. I have several very healthy houseplants, but just can't succeed with that beauty. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment.