Syringa

Cutely, with that ra-ra frill
at the hem of each flower —
and you've clearly been using
eye make-up again, to give
that bruised and needy look.
And some, no doubt, would think well
of those anthers prinked with yellow.

It can't last, of course,
a few downpours
will be enough
to burn your soft skin brown.
But by then, forget flirtation —
one whiff of you, and the garden
is crammed with lost souls.

Copyright © 2006 Lawrence Sail All rights reserved
from Eye-Baby
Bloodaxe Books
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission