Petalled blood, tear-blessed,
stains earth and spirit; we, too,
should tears fail, die...
Petalled blood, tear-torn,
stains earth and soul, still
leaving
black seed, hate-sown hearts...
Petalled blood, tear-torn,
stains earth and soul, hate-sown
hearts,
black seeded, linger...
Poppies print new life
upon the wastelands of fear,
struggling through grief...
Tears to dark hearts
bring difficult rebirth;
poppies print out hope...
Grief interprets love
in the wastelands of the heart,
wills poppies into bloom...
Love interprets grief;
poppies only underscore
difficult recall...
Hope flames in poppies;
tears mediate for doomed
and dead men’s shadows...
(October,
1987)
