Hardy shrubs bloom death perennial
— grey rosettes for hard-fought rootwork.
The way that green goes silver with the sun,
stone stays stubborn stone.
What if this burl washed smooth against the beach
could sprout the scent of jasmine,
thin the afternoon sweat of hot pine,
scoop up the wake and divide it, thumb by foaming thumb,
to sweeten the bleached horrors that circle through the garden?
— May 2021