Efflorescent Catch Poem by Dale Mullock

I’m in a garden, amongst the blossoms,
alive with floral scents and insects in flight,
I am one of those delicate rose buds,
so I open my soft petals to the sunlight.

Yet the wild world is harsh,
I am fondled by a pollen seeking bee,
so I shyly fold my petals over my pistil,
to keep at bay the demons from the apiary.

In the breeze I elegantly sway,
brushing my petals with your fingertips,
plucking me from the sea of floribunda,
cupping my corolla, you raise me to your lips.

You take a breath and inhale my floral aroma,
filling your lungs with a sweet desirable smell,
but you don’t cast me back down to the ground,
for I’ve enamoured you with my alluring natural spell.

Taking me home you plant and place me in the soil,
to grow, protect and nurture me in to full bloom,
providing me with all the light and liquid warmth I need,
saying that I give your house a delightful boon.

I am the central piece in your glorious abode,
glamorously displaying me to all those who venture round,
you carefully caress my stem and stroke my leaves,
and affectionately water my roots in the ground.

If I begin to wilt or I prick you with my thorns,
you always provide support to keep me upright,
laughing and smiling as you suck your bloodied thumb,
until I stand phosphorescent from your sunglow every night.