9.06.2018

able to stay alive through years of drought, not withering but with the strength to splurge

Saguaro I’d say if I had to
compare you with a plant:
you are that tall and straight and apt to
stand apart in silhouette.

And prickly! I’ve seen your cactus
spines in action as a string
of words almost tactile
in the way they sting.

To brave them is to find a home
in you, my own deep wish,
as the woodpecker carves a room
in saguaro flesh.

And you have known how to store up love
in memory’s net
and been able to stay alive
through years of drought,

not withering but with the strength
to splurge and draw
on those reserves of succulence
you use to flower now.

[Suzanne Noguere, 'Botanical Sketch of You' from Whirling Around the Sun]

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