Hollyhocks
I remember beauty mixed
with ugliness. Hollyhocks
growing in cinders in the alley.
The flowers grow hair
like the hairs in an old man's ear.
A totem of old men's ears
on a thick stalk, a talisman
of shrunken heads. Beside
a rickety, rotting shed
they loiter like freaks hiding
from sight, from judgmental
stares of people with gardens
of prize-winning roses
and chrysanthemums.
When I was 6 or 7 walking
home from school I stuck
to the alleys. A little fear mixed
with adventure. Hollyhocks
watching over me, listening,
showing me how to hide.
Hollyhocks
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- Posts: 2692
- Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03
Re: Hollyhocks
This is gorgeous, from beginning to end. I love it! The imagery is so imaginative, and the poem grows organically. A nom for sure. This poem makes my day!
Re: Hollyhocks
Thanks Bob and Meenas, I felt this one like when you hit golf ball and know that it went where you wanted it.