Four O'clock Poem by Paul Reed

The four o'clock flower waits
A sleepy tuber underground
Unhearing of the winter's sound
Dormant, hidden away from icy spates
But having an inner heart with a beat
Ready to explode into the summer heat;

And I have looked after you,
Four o'clock flower
Who once knew Peruvian hour
Spent with tropical skies blue
But who now cowers in my hand
Waiting for summer across the land;

This game of survival and preservation
That we play, waiting
Spring's wonders accelerating
Our awe and fascination
As we watch nature unfurl
Your pink trumpet and leafy curl;

And when those times come
We must celebrate with all our might
Into the cooling twilight
Where the bees buzz and hum
Amongst the twining stems
Your display of summer gems.