Celebration of Floral Familiars
“It’s good to acclimatize ourselves to the ordinary, lest we suffer the absence of the sublime.”
I celebrate an epidemic of yellow oxalis,
common coastal weed that invades
creek beds, wetlands, planters.
Guileless saffron blooms
soak up golden sunshine.Wildflowers resurrect after rain.
Poppies and alyssum compete
with fragrant pink and lavender hyacinth.
Volunteer johnny jump-ups
spread cream and purple silks,
line my brick walkway.This spring, I lust
after exotic rhododendrons,
pampered azaleas, camellias.
However, in my drought tolerant garden,
hordes of renegade Peruvian lilies
relentlessly invade, overpower lantana,
push aside emerging hydrangeas.March 2025
