[NaPoWriMo - 2025 Collection] Flowers from Thoughts

Prelude

Flush wisteria, lavender
  ripened upon their vine
Eliot’s hyacinth couple
  deep purple, beyond the rain-
  pummeled garden gate

A mossy footpath, wet
  seeping between toes
of bare feet, droplets plop
  extend upward, fall
into Earth's moistened mouth

 . . .Other echoes
Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?
                              
Not to learn but remember
nor think back to before
  November circumstance
  tilled the soil of withered slumber
for winter's harsh advance

I The Greeks

i

Messenger of the Gods:
                         Safron Crocus

Magenta veins, spindly limbs
winding as miniscule streams
  up lilac embossed skin
encompassing petaled tongues
  of flaming yellow, orange

Split stalk, thickly verdant
once a saber-tipped desire
of Hermes' sonorous love
  cursed by a bloody death
  blessed in budded breath  

Eons meandered unerringly
  through cycles of existence
yet the Safron Crocus' lives on
showing us nothing ever dies
  —it only changes form

ii

 Narcissus:
                      Wild Daffodils

Cracked soil, rising
  through frozen blades
of grass, heart of yellow
  escorted by six guardians    
  of titanium white

A fallen star, trapped
  by vanity’s reflective trick
a gaze caught within a pond
—betwixt and between
    destiny’s fatal grasp

A yearning spirit, gazing
  upon a sister’s countenance
a fair maiden, eloped
  with Death, ne’er again
to be seen in the flesh  

O! Beautiful youth, cursed
  from birth, a tale of two
stories leaving a choice:
      which to believe
      the unerring truth

iii

The Fire Bringer:
                       Giant Fennel

Bouffants of yellow, towering
  above deserts, resistant
  to burning elements
patiently waiting to be plucked
  for ancient alchemical rites
  
Prometheus, defiant potter
  in the art of clay, Titan
god of fire, fashioning
  a terracotta race, primitive
  in kaolin ignorance
 
Stolen from Zeus's lightning bolt
  or perhaps Hephaestus’s forge
  shall always remain unknown
the scorching flame smuggled
  in a hollow fennel stalk—  
  
its pithy heart, so slow
  to burn, transported
  from Olympus to Earth
a gift of divine knowledge
  —a revolution of love

and great sacrifice

iv

Fleeting Beauty of Youth
                        Wind Flower

Delicate white Anemone
  Wind Flower of purity
transformed by ichor,
   into a crimson poppy
   its tendril heart ebony  

As Adonai, mortal god
  of the hunt, annual florals  
lie upon petaled sheets
  marooned by blood
entering eternal sleep

Aphrodite, goddess
   of love, her heart impaled
by Eros's arrow, wept
   in everlasting grief
   over the resurrection of a flower

            wilting on her temple altar

v

Divine Messenger:
                       “Rainbow Bridge”

Vibrant symbol of elegance
   connection and finesse
petals, intricately colored
   purple and golden-white
reflect its namesakes’ mystique

winged-Iris, graceful goddess
   beautiful messenger of peace
betwixt realms of heaven and earth
    by commanding clouds of pigment
form a “Rainbow Bridge”

By which she freely traversed
   in faithful and willing service
delivering omniscient messages
   in ethereal yet grounded presence
connecting god and humankind

Timeless and inspiring
  both goddess and flower alike
portraying life’s cyclic nature
   of birth through imminent death
—a mystery yet wonder

    we who remain, shall remember

vi

Unrequited Love:
                          Sunflower

Towering stalks, crowned
   in yellow—shining diadem
capturing passersby gazing
   ardently upon a skyline
of pin-cushioned seed, following

the Sun god’s path, day after day—
   Helios upon his chariot of gold
morning rise to evening set
    amid the recurring pain
of unrequited love

Clytie, smitten water nymph,
   devoted to her ardent pursuit
desiring only to become
   Helios’ goddess and chosen wife
but fate turned, as oft it does

Helios, captivated by Perse
    chose her as bride. Devastated,
Clytie’s withering heart endured
    an indelible spirit—transformed
into the Sunflower instead

gazing upon the Titan god for life

vii

Spittle of Kerberus:
                          Aconitum

Pretty purple magnet, hooded
   picker’s paradise, veined
underbelly of pink, clustered
   lavender pistil, extending
as invitations to onlookers

whose naivety would pluck
  bloom from stem, perhaps
sniff the bud’s alluring potion
—Medea’s painful revenge
             upon unfaithful Jason

Before the halls of Haides
   and Persephone, there lived
the dreaded hound, Kerberus
bearing no pity nor mercy
            only a vile strategem

its poisonous spittle, paralyzing
  tormenting in pain, shadows
of Death it allowed entry
  into the underworld
  before swallowing them whole

            if they attempted to leave

viii

”AI, AI”:
                          Hyacinth

Six-petaled pods, clustered
lavender fronds, arched
  back, curled to reveal
purple seams, seemingly
   harmless in appearance

Their beauty deceives
    withholds poisonous bulbs
     of acidic oxalic, in wait
for a devious opportunity
     just as the wind god, Zephyrus

who, rejected in love
   bid his time, watched
  in jealous rage, the discus
game his obsession and Apollo
   played, until the chance

presented itself, blowing the saucer
off course, killing Hyacinthus
   with a hit to the head
Whereas Apollo, bereaved
transformed him into a hyacinth

that he might eternally live

ix

Healing Elixer:
                          Peony    

Paper mâché petals, pink
  layered upon another
forming a circular tuft
  soft to the touch, aromatic
aroma drifting into summer

Paeon, student of medicine
  academical wonder, milked
the root of the tender bloom
    alleviating agony and sorrow
    of Pluto’s painful wound

For this feat did the youth
  rise within Olympus,
yet Asclepius, his teacher
  in jealousy took offense
plotted against this genius

His ego, direly wounded
  would not see the boy live
would've succeeded triumphantly
  had not Apollo intervened
   transforming Paean into a peony

    to forever provide healing

x.

Flora
                           Rose

Blossoms by any other name
   such as this thorned adornment
heavenly scent, deep crimson
    symbolizing not only adoration
    but life from death

Chloris, Greek goddess
   of flowers and spring
whose devotion for birth
   created from the death
   of a beautiful forest nymph

the very first rose
   from her congealed blood
a thick, velvety envelope
   of petals, concealing
   the secret of reincarnation

         from the heart of love

xi.

Fallen Stars
                         Aster

Many pointed star
  of color, pink, purple
  lavender, red, glistening
wild across the morning
  fields, damp with dew

From goddess Astraea’s tears
  you descended, to root
within the soil, rising
       up toward the sun
replenishing the destruction

of Earth, flooded by Apollo
   to vanquish men’s corruption
But the maiden goddess of Virgo
   now a star herself, wept
Asters into life

      as a symbol of eternal hope  

xii

Flower of the Gods
                         Dianthus

Scent of clove, though not
  too strong, multicolored blooms
adorning diadems of the gods
  signigying love, everlasting
gifted to Hera by her husband Zeus

Life is a Garden, so say the gods
   birthed from the bloodied eyes
of a shepherd minding his flock
   playing upon his flute, when
goddess of the hunt arrived

Angry from her lack of catch
  Artemis’ wrath determined
the herdsman was to fully blame
  his music scaring off the game
  she could’ve eaten that night

So, in Greek deity fashion
  she gouged out both his eyes
yet remorse set in, over little time
  and behold, from his blood
the red dianthus grew

   carpeting the garden of life  

xiii

órkhis
        
                         Orchid

Ornate labellum, magnetic
  complexly patterned, textured
colors—pollinator, sticky
   stigmatic of pollen masses
reigning the throne of design

even more so than the rose
   Resembling testes, Theophratos
ancient Greek botanist claimed
   being the bulbous tubers
   resembled male genitalia

A symbol of virility, powerful
  ability to determine gender
  of a fertilized egg
Large root predicted a boy
—the small foretold a girl

O! Orchis, son of a nymph
and satyr, took Maenad
  follower of Dionysus
against her will, and was torn
  apart by wild beasts
  
 his blood fertilizer for the orchid
or so they said. . .

II Ancient Egypt

i

Life Cycle
                         Lotus

Aquatic survivor, rising
  from murky sediment
rhizomes, plump, wide
  rounded like a woman
seed pods, prickled

Fragrant and showy, verdant
  green pads, shallow water
Queen, ruling the cycles
  of nature—death & rebirth
creation according to Ra

Sun god. Adorning tombs
  renewal and enlightenment
Ceremonial rites, offerings
  upon temple altars
you lie—intoxicating

Pressed between pages
  the Book of the Dead
promising an eternal
  afterlife through resurrection
for the entombed mummy

ii

Motherhood
                         Red Hibiscus

Towering and radiant
   its fiery vibrancy inviting
within its delicate folds
   the mysteries it withholds
of time and places long gone

Large and bold
  its magnetic allure beckons
without explanations
  resonating with our own
human experience

Diving femininity
   it embodies our own
qualities of nurturing love
   reminding us of strength
and resilience we possess

Goddess Isis, the mother
  of all Egyptian pharaohs
wisdom and rites of fertility
  are hers alone
ruling the magic of spirituality

iii

So let it be written
                         Papyrus

Though traditionally known
  as a plant, your floral motif
conveys abundance
  of Lower Egypt, Goddess
Hathor’s sacred presence

Creation and knowledge
  archived upon your skin
life along the snaking Nile
  recorded as ancient history
within the catacombs

of your folds, unification
  became your goal
between the upper & lower
  kingdom’s regions
ruled by your pharaohs

Your essence immortalized
  within temple carvings
columns of lime or sandstone
  red granite, stone discs
mimicking your existence

echoing, ‘So Let it be done’

iv

The Scream of Death
                         Mandrake

Thick, forked roots
  often mistaken for human
legs, medicinal aphrodisiac
  treating the infertility
   of a barren womb

or an adorned amulet
  symbolizing good luck
Your healing properties
  are recorded within
the Eber papyrus

with the power to charm
  lovers and induce prophecy
through lucid dreams
  often recorded in history
to eventually manifest

Should two lovers partake
  of this herbal remedy
their love shall be sealed
  within the annuls of time
and death shan't separate

what Earth herself has linked

v

Sensuous Ceremonies
                           White Jasmine

Aromatic blossom
  carried upon the wind
permeating terraces
   capturing memories—
elation and painful times

Powerful scent, connecting
  with the divine, cosmic
deities, goddess Isis
  her jasmine garlands
carried over in aromatics

Perfumes, baths, skincare
  products associated with Love
beauty and sensuality
  on the opposite side
of the spectrum, embalming

Ancient mummification, governed
  by the planet Venus
representing the sign of Capricorn
  generating a boisterous fragrance
expanding our energy centers

from their roots to the heart

vi

Ornamental Chalice
                           Chrysanthemum

Sacred and symbolic burst
  of bloom, distinctive heart
of a garden’s allure
  many colors of ornamental
décor drawing in onlookers

Centerpiece of the sanctuary
  secret and holy inscription
all flowers are in God’s hands
  the Chrysanthemum
and pestle created together

divine colors, red, golden
  burnt orange, magenta
the liquid of their offering
  adorning clear water
with its rich tincture

But the most distinct
  is the aroma—one whiff
takes you back in time
  to an era, a tomb
and mummified corpse

vii

Cultivation
                           Candula

Tangerine pompoms
  upon a verdant bed
as a fleeting pigment
  across the half light
of a morning sky

Sweet Marigold leaves
   create medicinal teas
breaking fast a fever
   by inducing sweat
to relieve the ache

Sacred ointments
  adorning skin ailments
Cleopatra used a rinse
  evoking the highlights
in her brunette hair

Unique bouquet of oil
  permeating ritual bathing
preparation for ceremonies
  sun god upon his throne
inhaling from the heavens

viii

Virulent
                           Belladonna

Thick rooted, upright stem
   oily leaves, oval in shape
bell-like red, green fruits
   turning red, them black
like poisonous wild grass

    in a hot and dry climate
producing seeds, deadly
     nightshade, alchemical
blend of folklore medicine
   used underhandedly

to relieve pain, muscles
  innocent anti-inflammatory
dilation during eye exams
  associated with witchcraft
and many an unexplained

death—as though they passed
  in their sleep, those soft
shining blackberries beckon
  charming, even, yet highly
insidious in their secret intent

ix

Mourning
                           Willow Flower

Mourning into the afterlife
  the willow flower hangs
from the limp limbs
  of the tree on which it blooms
to the tombs of ancient kings

Rich burial sites adorned
  by this blossom symbolized hope
from the darkness of death
  and emergence of afterlife
came rebirth—a new life

With the newness was promised
   fertility by this branch’s
décor comes protection
   good fortune, and sadness
as Shakespeare penned

Pollen and seed producing
  flower of upper and lower
Egyptian lore, divination
  of this channeling power
divining both earth and water

x

Banafsajiyya
                           Violet

Intense phthalo, plum
  undertones, tyrian purple
vibrant, disc-like leaves
  growing like grass
with violet or white flowers

Exceptionally sweet aroma
  attracting gatherers early morning
dew, wet with wonder, plucked
  from the soil for essential
oils and healing poultice

  effective against tumors
a soporific to loosen joints
  mixed with seeds of gourds
or almonds, permeating
  the air as banafsajiyya

Cooling and cleansing
  eaten in salads, syrups
and even cleaning
  supplies, calming the nerves
with its meandering fragrance

. . .