Along the highway lovely lupins are seen
Vibrant pink, purple, and white interspersed amidst the green
Gently wavering to and fro with every passing car
A brief respite standing tall and bright
against the asphalts encroaching blight
displayed on knotty boards of pine
he stares into the fireplace
where glowing embers snap and spit
for him
his teeth ajar in frozen growl
which once chewed into salmon's flesh
and crunched through rabbit's snow-white fur
to bone
a wet black snout sniffed forest scents
now plastered fast with mod-podge glue
brown glassy eyes shine bright but fail
to see
he used to roam the timberlands
and munch on berries in a bush
and sleep away the winter snows
in dens
one spring he bounded happily
where lupins bloomed and robins sang
the hunter aimed his gun for one
clean shot
An English country garden
so evocative of times gone by
recalling all the many plants
lovingly sown by Granny and I
Majestic Lupins and Hollyhocks
so tall they almost touched the sky
Lily-of-the-Valley and Forget-me-nots
tiny flowers loved by Granny and I
London Pride and Morning Glories
no longer taking pride of place
pretty Violas and Pansies
velvet petals with a sweet smiley face
Old fashioned Roses
their beauty was sublime
such a heavenly fragrance
belonging to another time
Today our plants are brash and loud
as they try to make a statement
delicate beauty disallowed
no fragrance wafting like a cloud
Precious memories returning
of a Granny I loved so
together gathering fragrant blooms
we’d tie them with a satin bow
Perfecting a fragrant posy
a centerpiece for our table
precisely at the stroke of three
Granny and I enjoyed afternoon tea
Written 15th October 2018
3rd PLACE
Contest CHOICE Flower Verse
Sponsor Brian Strand
Among the spires of the Hollyhocks and Lupins,
Down beneath the dense and colourful Canterbury Bells and Forget-Me-Nots,
Life thrives and scurries about, different creatures go about their jobs,
Dancing to natures tune beneath the Lilies and Magnolias,
Covered under a canopy of cherry tree blossom that carpets the ground,
They go about their business barely making a sound,
This beauty we know as nature continues always to astound.
Affectionally known as lonewolf people,
Denizens not citizens,
Know too much about life,
Usually loners.
~~
In an old fashioned garden behind a stone wall
Hollyhocks and sunflowers growing so tall
Red rambling roses drape over a fence
Old fashioned flowers with colours intense.
Lupins and larkspur in lilac display
Buddleia blooming where butterflies play
Surrounding moonflower whose petals unfold
A bright splash of starburst, marsh marigold
Herbaceous borders, rosemary and rue
Columbines and clover full damp with the dew
Scents long forgotten their perfumes endow
I loved them long ago, I love them now
These old fashioned flowers, I planted them all,
In an old fashioned garden behind a stone wall
~~
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