The Gerbera
Some gentle armour of soft hirsute,
Blankets and buffers an adolescent gangling shaft
Short on muscle
Undulating, olive, and fuzzily -limpid,
Snaking periscope-like, uncompromising
In its obligation of buttressing
A spiked and starry crown.
A petal-strewn parasol, pubescent and pink
Of which some unruly crimson petals, wild and gregarious in manner,
Seek the light too earnestly, and ruffle premature, bleaching and drying,
In postures akin to those of a manic possession.
Bristling armies of guardians cadmium, gold and pink
Encircle and rally, circumventing an inner sanctum
An umber core of earthiest velveteen,
Shelter, to an intimate sex, tickling to the touch;
Scent is scant leaving small notice of its gentle attendance
Soft and spectacular, among the mass.
One jewelled petal tumbling unobserved to the ground,
Evidence of the acceleration
Of a regulated and pre-destined existence
Upon this ripened globe.
And so it begins and ends...
