Pampas Grass Near Malibu Poem by Denis Mair
Pampas Grass Near Malibu
Around my friend's house near Malibu
On a hillside where they hardly grew before
The 'God's candle' plants appear this Spring
They take position like leafy soldiers
Surrounding the Castle Elsinore
Their habit of growth is changing
Something always happens in the wild
The pampas grass plants have hatched a plot
To spread themselves across this slope
But all they want is to let more sun
Shine through their blooms of floss
Something new happens in the wild
The succession is coming on in waves
One who stays on this slope remembers
A time when they were few
Then came a late winter promise
Many shoots under gloomy skies
Promise of profusion in spring
A breakthrough in their collective plan
A vigorous strain that outgrew the rest
Always something new in the wild
Though change takes time to incubate
'...'God's candle'
Your time has come in succession
you march up this hillside
and wither in a season
with your backlit halo in slanting gold light
you don't lord it over the undergrowth
your climax does not doom you
to fall under the axe'
One who walks this slope
Sees them grow to dream-catchers of sunlight
Sees the promise of winter fulfilled
The earthly corolla of their filaments
celebrating the sun
This is a great poem. I enjoyed it. I looked up the pampas grass plant. It looks very profuse, prolific and beautiful in its own way. I first confused this with the Lord's Candle, which is more of a desert plant, even more imposing and beautiful; I mean the yucca variety that grows in semi-desert regions. (The Lord's Candle can be described as 'taking up positions as leafy soldiers around the Castle Elsinore'.) But I guess that your poem is talking about flowering pampas grass. Would have been good if you had given us a clarification in your Notes. I am not sure if the hoi polloi (general crowd) on Poemhunter (since invaded by Ninjuns and Poetasters) would appreciate poetry which is of such a high quality. Poetry is more than a mere gush of raw feeling or rabid imagination.
I am grateful that you took time to read this. It is a mystery how one finds needles suited to one's taste in this haystack called PoemHunter. I want to raise the philosophical level of my poems, so I write slowly. The kind poems I like require close work, like embroidery. I try to grow my poems like plants in a garden. I try to harvest fruit from many hours of contemplation, in a form that the reader can enjoy in minutes without wasting his or her time. I found your poem NO COFFEE, TEA PLEASE on your blog.. .
I see a lot of candles lighting up in your poem. You have captured the beautiful hillside scene of a sweeping botanical evolution. Your host has named the plant 'god's candle' in a very meaningful manner. Inscrutable are His ways as is evident now in the adaptive strategy of pampas grass. Thanks for sharing this news with us through your beautiful poem. (10)
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/20/2024 3:37:18 AM # 1.0.0.1119
One who walks this slope Sees them grow to dream-catchers of sunlight Sees the promise of winter fulfilled The earthly corolla of their filaments celebrating the sun - - - - - - - - - Beautiful imagery- - - - - Pompas grass as dream catchers of sunlight..Enjoyed reading this poem.