Best Poinsettia Poems
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Midwinter’s blush—not born of frost,
but coaxed from shadows when days shrink
to slivers. A star-shaped constellation
pressed between panes, each scarlet leaf
a silent flare against winter’s gray.
Some call it flor de Nochebuena,
flower of the Holy Night~
as if crimson could hold reverence,
as if a plant remembers angels
or the weight of a child’s breath.
Yet here it stands: unbothered by theology,
a bold geometry of joy.
Watch how its gold-tipped stamens
ignite like votives~
not praying, simply being light.
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the fabric remembers her hands~
floured fingerprints on crimson petals,
the knot at her waist pulled tight
as she turned from the oven’s glow.
heat curls the edges,
fraying the green leaves
where gravy once splattered~
a stain, a story.
Mother wore it like armor~
against time,
against hunger,
against the silence
of an empty kitchen.
Now it hangs,
a ghost of cinnamon and cloves,
still holding the shape
of her laughter.
I love to see you
and only you this time…
as you spread all over your leaf-liked petals
like the very bright numerous stars
you'd fallen down magically from the sky
your flaming red on top of green
so alluring-
I am so mesmerized
all lying down on verdant plains
and some are found at mountain sides
more are adorned at homes
and in all other lovely places around…
you’re so special and the prettiest flowers
welcoming the season of joy-
the Yuletide
March 14,2013 2.30pm
Note:
Poinsettia flowers are my most favorite flowers especially during Christmas time. I loved drawing/painting and taking photos of these flowers when I was still young.
Second Place
Contest: Free Verse
Judged: 3/18/2013
Sponsor: Greatest Poet Linda
red and evergreen
bushes proudly displayed, joy
marriage's first kiss
**I got married in December and the church was full of poinsettias....it was so beautiful.
.
Pink, red, creamy white
Choices displayed when exposed
To the great white light
My heart is poinsettia red,
You have filled it with Your own dear blood,
My love in return to all others spread,
None do You exclude, tho you could.
Our efforts to give wax so pitying,
Next to Your humble babe's crying,
Even so, tho some decry harried gift-giving,
It is in such giving we are living, nor dying.
Explosions of shiny foil red blue and green,
The most novel expressions Man's ever seen.
What's too much for me, if I am quieter,
Let everyone be, the gaudier the better!
Lights on trees, doorways and stores,
Echo that star that bids us yore.
Hail, hail, the bells, let red hearts sing out!
You live in us - there is no doubt!
And my heart is poinsettia red.
Pink Poinsettia
my favorite color
lifts my mood
with every holiday glance
.....For Andrea's Contest
Deep red star flower,
scarlet life blood atonement.
We beseech your heal.
The poinsettia shape reminds us of the Star of Bethlehem
Which led the wise men to a manger with gifts for Him,
And the brilliant red of the Christmas flower symbolizes
The shed blood of Jesus Christ which every Christian prizes
Reminding us that Jesus the Messiah’s birth, is the reason,
The red and green come to us during the Christmas season.
Written December 27, 2021
So beautiful, yet poisonous is the poinsettia.
Protecting herself from us with a vendetta.
We put it out as a center-piece decoration.
Withering away and weakening, during our celebration.
Its magnificent, bright red leaves a stern warning.
Ignored while we brazenly look adorning.
We see her brilliance and forget to be cautious.
A little mistake with her and you'll become nauseous.
We know that when a plant is plucked from the ground,
it stops growing and slowly fades, without making a sound.
We will nourish it and give it water to make it last longer.
Eventually she ceases the care and cannot become stronger.
A few weeks after the holidays, her splendor can no longer astound.
She has lost all her luster and her leaves have browned.
We no longer need this now hideous thing and we'll toss it out.
We'll wait for the next season, when the new fields start to sprout.
Pretty flowering plant
Often seen at Christmas,
Indigenous to Mexico
Now available at nurseries
Showy scarlet bracts,
Each surrounding yellow flowers
That require much attention
Throughout the season
In order to re-bloom
And delight next year.
Written December 2, 2022
snow carpets hide greens
white hills and sky become one...
poinsettia peeks
midst gripping coldness
redeemed soul* seeks revival...
now fired-up by God**
December 9, 2022
1st place "Winter Nature Themed Haiku" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Tania Kitchin; judged on 12/13/2022.
*Lamentations 3:58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
**Second stanza added on December 14, 2022
The poinsettia is a rare plant, indeed,
Its vivid red leaves outperform its tiny flower,
In Africa, it achieves the height of an oak tree
Exploding in vivid red like a bedecked tower
Decorated for a special holiday occasion.
Our guide was astounded we paid for a frond
While here bouquets are had for the picking,
Making me feel like, back home, we are conned.
They grow, he said, from a stick in the ground
I never can keep one alive for more than a week
Then, I looked at him and noticeably frowned.
Six dollars I pay for a stem with two blossoms,
Suspecting they’re a cutting that will not thrive.
As I stared at the magnificent poinsettia tree
Clement blithely said, “Well, here they’re free!”
Written December 3, 2022
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.]
scarlet w a ~. ~ .
v .~
e
s ~. ~ .
of love
caress moonstone f l
a
k e s of dusk ~
poised poinsettia