Tiarella cordifolia
An island in a mountain stream
covered with foamflower
is scoured down to the rocks
by a hundred-year flood.
But some piece of root
or stolon must persist, for
within three years the rocks
are hidden once again by a crowd
of maple-shaped leaves,
paired like open palms around
the tall flower stalks—
a gesture of acceptance
or of letting go. And these
their offerings are nothing less
than galaxies. White stars
storm in the heat of sex—
long male streamers,
a sharp-tipped female flare—
& pull wandering bees
into their orbit. Creation
& destruction follow each other
like night & day: even as
the oldest florets begin to collapse,
anticipating the inward turn
& the dry rattle, pubescent buds
at the top of the cluster
are brimming with the light
of imminent dawns.
OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES
- How to Know the Wildflowers: Preface
- Spring Beauties
- Red Trillium
- Painted Trillium
- Miterwort
- Marsh Marigold
- Goldthread
- Foamflower
- False Solomon’s Seal
- Early Meadow-Rue
- Dutchman’s Breeches
- Appalachian Barren Strawberry
- Wood Anemone
- Wild Geranium
- Mayapple
- Golden Ragwort
- False Hellebore
- Fairy Bells
- Trout Lily
- Hepatica
- Yellow Violet
- Jack-in-the-Pulpit
- Starflower
- Dwarf Ginseng
- Bloodroot
- Cutleaf Toothwort
- American Golden Saxifrage
- Blue Cohosh
- Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Unrelated but “Foamflower” twigged my attention because I thought it said “Foamfollower”, the name of the most endearing character in a fantasy series by Stephen Donaldson. The character has a pure gentle heart, is wise, and enduring. Perhaps not so unrelated after all.
Well, it’s always helpful to learn about unintended cultural resonances in a poem. Thanks.
(o)
Your exposition would make (or is a start) to a good introduction to a volume I’d like to have in my hands. Hint. Hint.
Thanks. How much would you be prepared to pay for such a book? Full-color reproduction isn’t cheap, especially through print-on-demand services.
Like the sound of this, and the sensual on-going mixed with the ethereal.
Thanks. This one is almost too high-concept for me, but maybe I’ll come to like it.
Nothing wrong with a little epic comparison… And foamflowers are so frothy and so thick with activity and transformation–you capture that nicely. Seems to fit.