Scilla

Quote from ILR JOURNAL: INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING IN RETIREMENT
by Sherwyn Warren


Most humble lily of them all,
Scilla, springtime’s first refrain
Spreading on earth’s frigid breast
Anticipating April’s rain.

Braving vernal snow and sleet,
Frosty dew as morning lights,
Promising a summer’s warming
After winter’s long cold nights.

Hunkering ’neath woody bushes,
Perforating chilly sod,
Royal purple springtime mantle
Blown down by the breath of God.

Not with big and showy blossoms,
Fluffy flowers, ornate bells,
Just rosettes of six blue petals,
Summer’s glory it foretells.

Regal purple gets supplanted,
By proud tulips in full bloom,
Daffodils and lush magnolias,
Cousin hyacinth’s perfume.

Disparaged “Not a flower,
Indeed, it is just a weed,”
But one I most admire
For its brave push to succeed.