I
You�d think this plant
Couldn�t care less about flowering,
True to its name, it goes in for an eminently serious green�
Disapproving of the blarney
Of emerald, that incorrigible flirt.
Knowing that limes
Belong only in ice creams.
As for the opinions of sage,
They are measured:
It writes briefs, not madrigals,
As anyone who adds it to a stew realizes.
And it is well informed
About counterindications and side effects.
It views the energy of daffodils
The way mature cats regard kittens.
Dill pretends to eternal youth.
Sage knows better:
Its funeral plot is prepaid.
It sees through
The exuberance of mint
That fast talker who never lets another plant
Get a root in edgewise.
II
Yet from this indubitably responsible citizen,
Which you would trust to write an airtight will
(Let alone remember the shopping list),
Suddenly spring
Flowers as delicate as the song of a flute.
Flowers shaped
Like miniature irises,
As lavender as hope
As fleeting as lavender.