Dear God today
when I find your
blooms I will be
sure to also
seek the name, to
discover its
origins, what
latin roots it
roots its name in,
what common way
evolved, and why
it is called the
lenten rose, its
early hybrid
rainbow blooms
ballooning from
evergreen leaves
some bright morning
in the desert
season, Jesus,
what wilderness,
I promise not
to miss this gift—
helleborus—
poisonous kin
of buttercups
that bloom all year
Lord, to know the
name of a thing
is to love it
to be among
it to save it
I will explain
unashamed to
my child lilies
by the doorstep—
amaryllis
belladonna—
that lose their green
foliage first
then push out stems
seasons later
of fragrant light
pink-white flowers
we call ‘naked
ladies’ this is
after all how
we ought to be
reaching for the
word the name the
Lord, naked, bold
the way Mary
Magdalene sought
the one who loved
a whore before
she was reborn
Mary reformed
prostitute thought
the risen You
a gardener.
Photo by Gosia Oledzka on Unsplash
