Amaryllis

A Poem Contemplating an Unkempt Garden

photo by the author

Every year, the amaryllis
surprises us,
flares from the soil

among spring weeds
without words or worry,
blood red and brilliant.

No neat rows
of color-coordinated precision,
no grand pretensions or self-deceptions,

but an unkempt garden of surprises,
amaryllis among weeds,
lantana and sweet olive, too,

wild clover and thistle,
ivy spilling out of pots
and taking root in the grass —

grace is delighting
in what will bloom
unexpectedly and unbidden,

what will awaken and rise up
when the days lengthen
and frozen ground thaws.

© John Allison Cannon