…and there were lilies: IV. choir

A choir of colour,
they raise their heads and open
their mouths to shout out
a hallelujah chorus
of silent, deafening joy.

…and there were lilies: III. Lady Alice

Lady Alice has recurved or reflexed petals, like the tigers. But is too refined to be in the same tub, and would never admit to being closely related to them. 

Lady Alice bobs
a curtsey to the breeze, and
turns her petals up –
a reflex she cannot help
when embarrassed by the bees.

This series of “…and there were lilies” poems is an epilogue to “jubilate lilium (let there be lilies”). 

…and there were lilies: II. Anastacia

In the same bathtub as the tigers, are some oriental lilies, including Anastacia. Anastacia has a lovely scent, very sweet, and beautiful pink blush and freckles. But she seemed a bit over-awed by the tigers, so I brought her inside for safety. 

So pretty in pink,
Anastacia cowers from
the grinning tigers,
orange against jungle green,
recurving talons readied.

…and there were lilies: I. tigers

Last year I put in lots of lily bulbs, and offered up a prayer on planting them. They have flowered spectacularly, and the possums have not found them (although the pig ate a few). Beginning at the end with my favourites, the tigers:

 

Burning tigers smile
and nod their heads, approving
of the summer rain.

broad beans

Tucked up so tight
in softest down,
a darling sight!
So green and round!
Too sweet they look
for me to cook.
I’ll eat them raw.

Spring haiku

Despite a last snap of winter’s teeth and a flurry of snow on the weekend, the first day of spring is definitely very springy!

Revelation

In response to Eugi’s weekly prompt, “August“, and also inspired by VJ’s daffodils:

On the western front of winter,
at the eastern edge of spring
A seal of frost is broken…

Come and See:
they have risen,
haloed in gold.

winter spell

A riddle in rhyme, in response to Eugi’s weekly prompt, “magic”. What are the Orb, Staff and Crown? 

Take the Orb, the Staff, the Crown,
bury them, shallow, in the ground.

Raspberry canes

Ten bare sticks lie
across my hand

pobblebonk

I was digging in my garden on Sunday to plant some more bulbs (mostly oriental lilies) and turned up this: