Rhododendron

A poem

16mm still by Parker Love Bowling

Rhododendron is such a pretty name
For such an ugly flower
A gaunt looking dame
Wilting by the hour.

Rhoda was a woman of color
Coming in pinks, purples, and blues
Drowning up to the sky
Despite Gravity’s pull;
Growing upward
Petals falling down
Till they become more
Earth on the ground.

Rhododendron, rhododendron, rhododendron
Whispered in my ear
Spoken so many times
All other flowers disappear.

Rhododendron, Rhododendron.
I look for you in books
In songs and in my head
Rhododendron is what
I’ll remember
As the other words fall dead.