Short Oleander Poems

oleander tree 
no clothes, no jewelry 
rains lashing 

24 September 2023...

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silver damp moist fog
coats golden rods, green ragweed ...
oleander blooms...

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Ornamental plants here
one near the right side door
other one at the left
Oh, their bright pink flowers
occupy entire plants
often pull butterflies
only to lay the eggs


April 6 2021

For the contest Pleiades sponsored by Kim merryman...

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These shadows lengthen evening,
virescent and plum in that certain solemnity.

Do not think twice about the unthinkable,
it is a slow slide to an uneasy finish.

That certain order of the oleander is never clear,
it is not death, but life we fear....

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Do not at oleander flowers rejoice
In the valley casting a shadow
Do not jubilate at a girl's lure
Until you perceive the deeds

You would get actually diseased
When you its nectar suck and florets chew
Be eventually hoodwinked by manifest charm
When no benefit from remorse reap....

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White or red it doesn't matter
You are poison
Dripping in my veins
Breaking my tender heart
Leaving me to die

Warning ambers I should see 
But I only feel your shade
Your beautiful petals hypnotize me
I never see your stinger
You kill the innocent ones who walk in your poetic Garden...

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Behind closed doors
and red exits
we must all come
with our teeth gritted
our eyes slitted

Before yellow bushes
and maple desks
we have all been
to face the tormentor
to see the enchanter

Sacred hope
you who lies buried
beyond the oleander tree
arise and guide us
to the final path

Amen...

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The “Christmas Freeze” of ’83 left Mom’s prize Oleander wilted
Bemoaning its demise, her heart gave way in the backyard
Irony cast its spell in spring and revived the Oleander...
    If only it could have done the same for Mom




*July 26, 2020
For Constance La France’s “Four Lines Poetry Contest”...

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The everlasting evergreen,
the most beautiful tree I have ever seen.
Lives through the seasons of hot and cold,
deep in the forests big and bold.
Spruce, fir, juniper, and pine,
the shades of green that never die.
Lime, oleander, magnolia, and mistletoe,
are forever prepared to withstand the cold.
The everlasting evergreen,
trees that outlive everything....

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You have died a thousand deaths since the day you invaded the gentle, passive 
meadows in which I walk upon.

You thrust your evil hand on my pristine petals, eroding the beauty that once lay in 
your view.

You ravaged the garden of peace, and left it a field of complacency.

You congratulated yourself for the prisoner of war you conquered, but I have won 
because my Oleander petals will ensure your demise....

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Dressed up toes to head
from the curtain view of my backyard
to the scattered clothing at my bed.

Your sweet embrace lurks, out to get me.

Snakes crawling up from the dirt,
they stretch menacingly towards me, holding on until it hurts.

Your leathery fingers stroke me, always closer to home
stabbing daggers into my fleshy palms.

Sweet Oleander,
down turned smiles, bleeding hearts;
We adorn your handsome arms....

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Lavender shows blue flowers
Shaded by a spreading Oleander
The weedy garden, once a nursery
Still has many vibrant blooms

Dandelion, Snapdragons, heads held high
Visited by a darting Hummingbird
No second glance, to the odd deadhead
Ladybug sits lonely, on discarded beanpole

The high mesh fence casts its netted shadows
Broken red pots with busy ants below
Are there really weeds, or,
Just plants in the wrong place...

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Fell for the beauty of an oleander 
My feelings were in an emotion blender 
They told me that you were bitter 
But you always made me feel better 
You altered my heartbeat to a new rhythm 
It's okay for me, so why should I listen
When with you, my body goes numb 
It's a feeling I can't overcome 
They said that I was poisoned 
But with them, I somehow reasoned 
In the end when I woke up 
There were no flowers, but the shrub...

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