Oenathera

A day or two ago, the world was filled with color
Of Eastern Redbuds magenta-pink in bloom
And Purple Nettles carpeting the emerald pastures
Of Illinois in springtime.

Explosions of tree tops
Assembled as bridesmaids
Along roadsides, holding bouquets
Of Plum, Lavender, and Magnolia.

Daffodil, Lily, and Dandelion
Shot through the winter sedge
Amidst sprigs of Chartreuse
And a million Stars of Bethlehem.

Oh Primrose, your bright eyes
First to melt the snow,
First to melt my heart,
Do you fade so fast,

Just two days passed?
Do these petals, now brown and translucent from the Spring rains,
Strew the sidewalk with memory,
Drowned in green, green, green, green, green?

Oh, my darling, how I love you,
Delication of petals,
Soft and tender
In the last winds of Winter.

Here, in the melting sod,
You bloomed for two brief moments,
Surrendering your nectar to Wasp
And Mourning Cloak.

Ravaged by Time,
Choked by Surge of Life,
Passing unnoticed
Under the dark light of the New Moon.

Trampled under hoof of White Tailed Deer,
Who search for black and white and button-topped Morels
That rise silently
Through the detritus of you.