Mayapples grow as ones and twos.
Wherever they must, whenever they choose.
When they are young they rise as one
over the forest floor on a single stem.
When they ripen and are laden
with fruit and flower the one
becomes two
I becomes you.
From then on, we bloom together
not as one alone
but as two together
balanced
on a single stem.
And between us blooms a flower
neither alone could bloom before
and from us comes a fruit
to seed the forest floor.
Jun 18, 2015
Jun 18, 2015 at 9:42 AM UTC
Mayapples grow as ones and twos.
Wherever they must, whenever they choose.
When they are young they rise as one
over the forest floor on a single stem.
When they ripen and are laden
with fruit and flower the one
becomes two
I becomes you.
From then on, we bloom together
not as one alone
but as two together
balanced
on a single stem.
And between us blooms a flower
neither alone could bloom before
and from us comes a fruit
to seed the forest floor.
Some creative biology here. My myth is May Apples first grow as 'bachelors' then self-separate into a couple which is when they flower and fruit.
Written with love for my dear bride Brittany on the occasion of our marriage, 5-15-15
I also like how center alignment almost turns this into a concrete poem, you can see it as a vase and flower.
