Joan Mazza Verse-Virtual 2016 May

May 2016

I started writing poetry in 1998 after writing mostly fiction and non-fiction. Poetry has been a daily practice since 2011, and a lifeline and tranquilizer during a long recovery when I had a serious accident and crushed the top of my tibia. My work has been published in a variety of literary magazines, but the writing process offers the most satisfaction. In addition to poetry, I do fabric and paper art deep in the woods of central Virginia. www.JoanMazza.com

"Lady Slippers" - photo by Joan Mazza

May Wildflowers in Virginia

He shows me his surprise first—
Showy orchis where no one has seen it,
tiny extravagance in pink and white.

We amble down the path to find
Lady slippers with their pink scrota.
Cleaver grabs back when we touch

their leaves and stems, Nature’s Velcro.
Tall field mustard lights up the greenery
with yellow bouquets.

Wild roses have tight buds, waiting for June.
Around the old dairy barn,
ground ivy creeps with purple blooms.

We slow down, bend to see
each flower I missed
on my morning walk.

On the mossy bank of Vigor Road,
bluets in abundance look like snow.
I break off a branch of sassafras, crumble

leaves, savor the fragrance of root beer.
We peer into common elder, scarlet clover,
dead nettle, white and pink dogwood,

count twenty-six species,
lose track of time,
surrounded by wild purple azaleas.