Anthology
of Louisiana Literature
Julie Kane.
"The Iris Garden."
Flowers of time:
one the color of blood,
one pale blue and frilly
as an organdy gown,
one black as the soul
the nuns drew
in colored chalk.
If you dreamed an iris,
you would find it here.
Public domain photo by Klaus Beyer
|
You strangle
on the sweet air; it is
the room your mother left
for the party; now
you leave for parties,
you leave
little ghosts of scent
behind you. Men
wear you like a rainbow
on their dark wool arms.
Public domain image by wpclipart.com
|
When your many colors fade,
bouquets of purple irises
will bloom beneath your skin.
You will lean to the earth alone.
Anthology of Louisiana
Literature