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Poem 12. A reminder that you're invited to respond with your own poetry, but all responses are most welcome. <3

This poem happened around 30 minutes ago and is about today's hike in Maui. It's a first draft... but I'm hopeful.

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By Edith Hope Bishop, April 2023

Walking in a lava field in Maui
I happened on a flower -
lavender, star-shaped -
that once grew
on the banks of the canal
where I grew up in
South Florida.
I’ve since learned
this type of flower
originated in
Madagascar
and will grow well in
shade (the canal bank)
or full sun (the lava field).
It’s long-lived
and prefers coastal life.
Some call it a periwinkle
but that it isn’t its color at all.
It’s rather bright with a
magenta middle.
You might call it loud.
It's been called bright eyes
and the graveyard plant.
It's common, apparently,
can be invasive,
and is toxic to humans,
except that it also produces
two compounds
used to treat cancer.
So you see, this one flower
brought back both my
childhood and your ghost,
as all things do,
if I think long enough.

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