Peony Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Patrolling the locked down world
I feed my sight with flowers
I relish gardens

Peony lifts her multi faceted face
Wet with a spatter of rain
A scatter of rubies

She is a nest of scent
A harbour of fragrance

Peony's an Asian beauty
Her leaves are deeply lobed
Plump, purple ball of flower
Plush as a velvet cushion
She closes up at night
Or under thunder skies

She's named from Paeon
A student of Asclepius, Greek god of medicine
From the aeons back, her root's been coveted

The Chinese used her essence for flavouring food.
Confucius is said to eat nothing without its sauce.

In theTang dynasty, Peonies were cherished,
Ruled the imperial gardens.

In China, her fallen petals
Are a tea-time delicacy.
She is added to salads and punch
A traditional flower 牡丹 (mǔdān) ,
A flower of riches and honour.

Her seeds hold the gifts of healing
Bit if you pick her fruit, you must
Hide from the woodpecker
Or the bird will peck out your eyes
As a punishment

Nymphs hide in her depths,
Some, call her Shame or Bashfulness
In the Language of Flowers.

You will see her incised on skin
Useed in tattoos, alongside koi-fish, lions
Tigers and lucky dragons

This lady treats stomach pains and nightmares
Bladder issues, jaundice, muscle spasms
She sooths arthritis, fever, dysmenorrhea

I applaud the bravery of ephemera
The Peony's moment of glory,
Till she droops her luscious, heavy head
Dead in a blink, her scent still hangs in the air