Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Culture
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published May 23, 2007 at 4:00 a.m.
The garden has ignited.
It's feverish. Even the white clematis
flutters with sun,
and the red lilies and coral bells
burn back at it. Windblown petals
of cardinals flash
across the buttery primroses:
a good year for gardens.
Everything shines.
I write this standing at my window.
I don't go down into the garden.
From here I see everything
at once, all the flowers trapped
in color, in their showy, slow
ignition - petal, pistil, leaf and stamen
separating off. Perhaps
there is a way
out of such fiery
gorgeousness. It must
be wearing. Even at night
when I've gone blind
I hear a splendid confusion
of harmonics, what only can be
the sharp yellowing
of gloriosas, the speckle-
throated oranging
of the Canada lilies.
- John Engels
From Recounting the Seasons:
Poems, 1958-2005, University of Notre Dame Press.
About the Artist
Matthew Thorsen
Bio:
Matthew Thorsen was a photographer for Seven Days 1995-2018. Read all about his life and work here.
Matthew Thorsen was a photographer for Seven Days 1995-2018. Read all about his life and work here.
Speaking of Poem
-
Video: Storyteller Ferene Paris Meyer Inspires a Juneteenth Mural
Jun 17, 2021 -
'Hull Pond in January,' Poem by Chard deNiord
Dec 19, 2018 -
Kerrin McCadden Wins Vermont Book Award
Sep 27, 2015 -
Found on Twitter
Dec 10, 2014 -
Digging Swale’s Remix Record With the Cheap Thrills Record Club
Sep 24, 2014 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
