"hydrangeas" poems
I took the left path where hydrangeas grew and sleepy primroses under woods, edged shady trees.
The empty stream ran quietly dry
With grass cuttings piling high.
If one peeped, one would find tiny creatures
To cast a sparkle here and there, a delight.
So on tip-toe, with sandels bent
Up high I reached to take
The plastic fairy as she twirled a pirouette
In a theatre made by chance.
Reflected in a silver mirror intwinned with ivy branch
A mottled foal tends his dreams and Chrismas robin chirps.
My brother took the right hand path where the trees grew fruit
Ripe berries from the gooseberry bush bulged their prickles.
Dangling from hawthorn now a cowboy with a hat
Looking for his fellow Indian with the yellow back sack.
Sheep gather in a hollow, dark, protected from the sun
And Mr toad, now lost of paint, has turned a bit glum.
And so we leave our woodland friends and travel up the slope
Winding round the rose bed and goldfish where they float.
Then up we climb, the middle route, to jump the pruned clipped
Hedge.
The lawn divided in two halves, a contemporary taste.
Now we're nearly at that place where if one was to turn
Could see down across the land
To the sea and sand.
Of all the beauties that I've known
Nothing beats this Island home.
Love Mary x
My grandfather’s retirement bungalow was in Totland Isle of Wight.
It was named Innisfail meaning ‘Isle of Ireland’.
Behind, the garden led down to magical and delightful to children who came as visitors. My grandfather would prepare this woodland with some suitable surprises.
The garden and woodland deserved its own name and in retrospect
Is now named ‘Innislandia’ to suggest a separate, mysterious land.
Beyond the real world.
In the poem A Country Lane on page 8 the latched gate is the back gate to my grandparent’s garden and bungalow in Totland as above.
Jun 23, 2018
Jun 23, 2018 at 7:57 AM UTC
We were beautiful children
And we grew up so brave,
We were touched by death and heartbreaks but we stayed just the same.
We listen to jazz all night and drink red wine,
Find ourselves adventure to pass the time,
We don't talk much about the pain we've felt inside,
No more bumps in the road,
Just enjoying the ride.
Our love is too strong to carry weight of what's gone,
We find peace in the sun,
And the belief of being young.
Love of mine in the world,
We are one in the same,
You can laugh while you're crying and be childish when you lose games,
We are fine, we are okay,
We are in love,
And our children someday will be just like us.
Aug 30, 2015
Aug 30, 2015 at 10:46 PM UTC
Dragoons, I tell you the white hydrangeas
turn rust and go soon.
Already mid September a line of brown runs
over them.
One sunset after another tracks the faces, the
petals.
Waiting, they look over the fence for what
way they go.
9.9k
we lost you in April
during the rains
it was as if the sky was grieving
we lost you right before the blooms
that awake during the crisp morning
we lost you, and it is April again
they speak to you now in silence
and in memory
we lost you…yes
maybe physically
but, I see you during the spring
where life is full and lush
I see you in the cardinals
they fly free in ribbons of gold
this is where I see you
among blue hydrangeas
May 4, 2012
May 4, 2012 at 9:46 AM UTC
-
crack another thermometer open
on the broken bathroom sink,
pour yourself into me like mercury
and pan the bed of my stomach
for multitudes of gold flecks
like however many myriads
of sickly pill bottles in your
dresser drawer of socks.
-
see all
the shredded speckled petals
i ripped up before i'd let
the deer get to them;
i'm colorblind,
and i can't tell
the sun's reflection from plastic,
or tulips from the broken
pottery outside my front door.
-
and far least from another beer,
and another fifth of whatever
could be fit under your shirt
-
and never a chair pulled up to speak,
from standing like a soapbox
more suited to cleaning
than to preaching.
-
pour yourself into me like mercury,
because it's so much easier
when my veins weigh me down
to distraction, than being able
to think of hydrangeas again.
-
Mar 19, 2013
Mar 19, 2013 at 1:55 PM UTC
Her man had left for California.
Left her with nothing but the dog
to fight the emptiness of her apartment.
She told me she couldn't sleep anymore,
told me she couldn't eat anymore.
She got sick,
so sick— swore that it was
tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid fever—
My experience led me to my own diagnosis;
another case of a love long lost.
I didn't have the heart to tell her.
Instead I slept with her,
despite the risk of sickness.
She was afraid it was contagious.
I laughed, told her I would
take the risk.
I stayed there two weeks, laughing.
She could eat again,
she could smile again,
she made up love late into the night.
It seemed like this
quarantine was paradise.
Till up one night there was a
knock on the door.
It seemed like her bags
were already packed.
It seemed like she was gone
within the few moments it took to see
who it was behind the door.
Told me to lock up the
apartment, leave the key under the
*** of wilted hydrangeas.
He was back from California.
It seemed like she was cured—
of her malaria, her yellow fever, her cholera—
Just like that, a clean bill of health.
A modern day
miracle.
It seemed to have been
contagious,
after all.
Aug 21, 2013
Aug 21, 2013 at 1:06 PM UTC
~
Weeping hydrangeas spill
sapphire tears falling,
drenching grey scale gardens
suspended, free flowing
a mobile of distractions
on tiny threads scattered
above clouded daydreams
Worded floating silent streams,
spinning slowly, creating phrases
on whirlwind petals,
browned edges frame
whispered wonderings
sans answers
upon somber breezes
of yesterday’s questions
or
A cappella Hydrangeas
send harmonic petals floating
upon melodic wind chime breezes,
suspended soft concerto clouds
on love sonnet strings
tuned to a spring day,
as flowering symphonies,
acoustic mobiles of emotion
bloom within a garden
of daffodils dreams
in unison with lyrical
compositions of nature’s
enchanting song
Jun 2, 2015
Jun 2, 2015 at 10:14 AM UTC
Whisper
Drop peonies in my eardrums
Sew violets under my skin
Take all my fragrance in and
Exhale
Pave a path of fuchsia petals
We’ll share baths with chrysanthemums, lilies, hydrangeas
And crown ourselves in wreaths of all the roses.
Jun 21, 2013
Jun 21, 2013 at 11:25 PM UTC
like hydrangeas,
you must allow yourself to bleed.
to fade from one truth
to another like from
blue to purple to pink.
Sep 15, 2015
Sep 15, 2015 at 8:49 PM UTC
Her daddy pushed her on the swing
She thought about this, she thought about that
He brought her home toys
Presented with a hug
Presented with a kiss
He stopped coming home at night, stopped carrying her to sleep
Very (agile), very (mischievous)
He stopped coming to dinner, stopped tucking her into bed
He brought home another woman
Presented her with a hug
Presented her with a kiss
Her heart filled with lies and deceit
She was a lot like you or I
Very funny, very (sly)
She could make you laugh
She could make you think
So elegant, so chic
Beauty that made you stop and blink
Mistaken as heartless
Maybe a *****
But inside she was the moon and we were the sun
She had hydrangeas growing in her bones
Stars enchanted her every touch
But she was so lost
Left behind in this dark forest
She couldn't see the sunset she could paint with only her soul
Convinced she was wrong
That is was all her fault
"You're never gonna make it"
She keeps walking through the dark
Listening for your voice, feeling for your touch
Cold and alone
You're all she's ever looked for
Her dad doesn't push her on the swing
She still thinks about this, she still thinks about that
He takes her out to dinner
No hug
No kiss
Jan 7, 2015
Jan 7, 2015 at 1:10 AM UTC
Southern summer nights
too hot
swimming in a sea of humid
drowning in a pool of sweat
and sweet tea.
Sweet tea like syrup
dark hazel
filled with ice
cubed and perfect
from an imperfect freezer tray.
Frizzy hair
glistening skin
from a dull sun
tempered by an Atlantic breeze.
The moon shines full
lighting the scent of the summer night.
Honey suckle, hydrangeas, cotton textured
dandelions like parachutes against the
black night sky
is a southern summer night.
Oct 10, 2010
Oct 10, 2010 at 10:49 AM UTC
Hydrangeas explode, grass spikes the soil
Sun scorches all, water crashes on shores
Ice destroyed, eyes beaten by bright rays
Heat everywhere, blue suffocates the sky
We love a violent summer
Jun 2, 2013
Jun 2, 2013 at 7:44 PM UTC
Here I sit,
at a sushi restaurant,
Alone.
Thinking of the disgust on your
face at seeing me.
Here I sit,
Thinking about everything I planned on saying to you
As I handed you the 12 daisies,
your third favorite flower.
Here I sit,
Regretting,
Aching,
Lost in a tunnel of self loathing
Here I sit,
Thinking on the words I said as I Handed you the flowers
"Trash em, burn em, I don't care"
I didn't mean that.
I didn't.
Here I sit
Here I sit.
Sep 9, 2015
Sep 9, 2015 at 12:07 PM UTC
*Hydrangeas and tall boxwood bushes
grow on each side of the walkway.
Picket fence, greying from need of paint,
and Foxglove and Bleeding Hearts thrive in shade.
The little breeze shakes the leaves
and cause the nodding Roses to sway.
In evening when sun begins to set,
serene peacefulness comforts my soul like God.*
Тадеус
Aug 16, 2014
Aug 16, 2014 at 5:12 PM UTC
Hawks
Poison Ivy
Butterflies
Many shades of Pink
Grass
Hydrangeas
Tiny little ladybugs
Colorful Flowers
Robins
Roses
Many wonderful, beautiful things
Aug 26, 2014
Aug 26, 2014 at 7:29 PM UTC
Roses are red
Violets are blue
This poem's the sweetest thing I'll ever do.
Lilies are orange
Petunias are pink
When I'm around you, **** I can't think.
Pansies are purple
Orchids are white
When I talk to you, my throat gets tight.
Marigolds are gold
Hydrangeas are green
You're the most mesmerizing person I've ever seen.
Daffodils are yellow
Dandelions too
I must admit, I think I love you.
Lavender is grey
No flower is true black
All I want to hear is "I love you" back.
Aug 23, 2013
Aug 23, 2013 at 1:10 PM UTC
The Nail-biter saw her as his saving grace from a life of lonesome worry
She saw him as a meal ticket and a free ride
He over looked her granny ash
He disregarded her speech impediment
Always holding his tongue when she stumbled on certain words because he loved her and all her imperfections
She had a bullet proof black hole heart and his common sense was stuck in a sound proof cell as they had what seemed to him to be, passionate ***
He worked day and night, coming home with dishpan hands
Saving up to buy her a bouquet of hydrangeas, tulips and baby's breath
She took them and said, "Wow, thank you you're such a good friend"
The Nail-biter left and drove his car into the nearest embankment
She did not attended the funeral, she was too busy having dinner with The man with OCD who didn't have tics but tocks
She knew the routine and loved every second of it
Sep 14, 2014
Sep 14, 2014 at 12:39 PM UTC
Lately,
When I’ve tried
Opening the gates
The locks to my kingdom
It’s simply impossible to accomplish.
I’m terrified,
Terrified,
Of being ‘open.’
What does ‘open’ really even mean?
Am I supposed to investigate
Every dazzling petunia?
Conduct a survey among my local hydrangeas?
Or maybe I should consider taking a hibiscus
As my teacher
In order to learn the art of blooming.
Flowers mastered
The art of opening up to the world,
Without the fear that those around it
Will shine more astronomically
More brilliantly
Than they.
Yes, I wish I was a flower,
I wish I did not care.
I need to learn
How not to care
Like a flower.
Flowers may be ‘weak’
But they’re still stronger
Than me.
My skin is too soft-
My shell might crack
And it will break open
And you will see
That there’s nothing left inside me
And I will carve myself open
To prove it to you.
If I open up
Like a flower,
I’m sure to sustain an injury
Or a lot.
Trust is a butterfly
Easy to crush
Impossible to take
And wow
When you have it
It’s an amazing thing.
But when it’s gone,
Oh it’s an
Ugly
Mangled
Dead thing.
When did this trust
Fall out of my chest?
Did it shatter when it fell?
Because it’s sure broken
Into a million pieces
And it is mangled and ugly.
I am so broken
So fully broken
Hugs are poison
And your touch
Could burn the heart
Out of me.
I’m just anxious
I’m always nervous
My veins itch and
When your eyes dance on my form
I become physically ill
And when you put a hand on my shoulder
I’ll jump like a suicidal bird in flight.
These nerves are eating away
I’m being dissolved by their horrid bleach
And my organs are already mush.
Mar 27, 2014
Mar 27, 2014 at 1:54 PM UTC
i want to be here for
the ugly.
the inopportune,
the odious.
moments when
your back breaks
from carrying
a heavy load,
when your heart bursts
from the inside,
when your tongue
becomes toxic.
i want to
plant hydrangeas
in the crevices
of your spine,
rose bushes
in your heart,
peonies in your mouth,
so that when nurtured,
you are able to stand,
able to love,
able to speak of yourself
splendidly.
know that this
is never ending.
know that even when
my hands grow weary,
and
my knees become
scabbed and
dirt- covered,
i will happily
wipe the sweat
from my aching brow
and tend to you.
because all of the ugly,
the inopportune,
the odious,
will be forgotten,
the moment
you begin
to blossom.
Jul 22, 2018
Jul 22, 2018 at 9:24 PM UTC
Southern summer nights
too hot
swimming in a sea of humid
drowning in a pool of sweat
and sweet tea.
Sweet tea like syrup
dark hazel
filled with ice
cubed and perfect
from an imperfect freezer tray.
Frizzy hair
glistening skin
from a dull sun
tempered by an Atlantic breeze.
The moon shines full
lighting the scent of the summer night.
Honey suckle, hydrangeas, cotton textured
dandelions like parachutes against the
black night sky
is a southern summer night.
Jun 11, 2013
Jun 11, 2013 at 2:15 PM UTC
Hair flecked with silver streams
Grooves in the skin creating ripples of wisdom
Wisdom shown in the glossy eyes
Body of watery experience sitting in the rickety chair,
the chair that squeaks with every rocky wave
If wisdom had a visible aura
it would be seeping out of his eye sockets
creating rivers of tears flowing down the cheekbones
It would be pouring out of his ears,
watering the thirsty hydrangeas that rest by his feet
It would be running out of his nose
into the decades of wisdom gathering around his chin
It would be salivating out of the corners of his mouth,
down his chin
drenching the front of his argyle sweater vest
But people walk by
blinded by nearsightedness
They don't see the water that creates a tsunami
strong and tall
People walk by
content on their dry scratchy gravel,
not wanting to dip their toes
into the murky pond before them
People walk by
closer toward the desert
where they get stuck
waiting for something to quench their thirst.
Nov 25, 2011
Nov 25, 2011 at 5:05 PM UTC
With the ivy on my house, I had to reconsider what flowers I wanted to add to my garden. I never expected to be gifted a hydrangea sapling that I planted beneath the wall of ivy. I was much more beautiful than I had originally thought, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hydrangeas were able to grow and flourish on their own alongside the ivy. The scent of hydrangeas became comforting to me.
Mar 26, 2017
Mar 26, 2017 at 4:09 PM UTC
In the place of your kin I found you,
In the meadow left out to dry
Your porcelain face,
Glazed in white, glassy blood.
No carmine kiss had spoilt it
On the eve of its last breath,
But the flood, the flush
Of bluish-purple life-fluids
Decaying within your chest.
Hydrangeas will grow from the tears you wept,
And the crows will carry off the bones you left.
Is it best for your love to run out,
Rather than be caressed by death?
Sep 27, 2016
Sep 27, 2016 at 12:13 PM UTC