Tulip.

 A tulip in bloom is shaped like many things,

Both sacred and profane - sunlit or moon dark -

A woman`s breast - her vulva - her loving kiss -

A gilded cup emptied of blood red wine -

Two hands cupped together to receive a gift -

A gift of chicks new born - a gift of life and death -

The whole of life expressed in one small bloom

That rarely lasts more than a single week.

All that we are expressed in this small flower -

A single blaze of joy, then all,  yes all is lost. 

A tulip in a vase is a poor sad thing,

But a garden full of tulips can make a dumb child sing.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter,

22nd. April 2022.