Florilegium

Day 19: "In her poem, “Florilegium,” Canadian poet Sylvia Legris gathers together many five-lined stanzas that describe flowers but also play with the sounds of their names, their medical (or poisonous) qualities, and historical aspects of herbalism. Today, pick a flower or two (or a whole bouquet, if you like) from this online edition of Kate Greenaway’s Language of Flowers. Now, write your own poem in which you muse on your selections’ names and meanings."

I've picked my favourite (the daffodil), my daughter's (the rose), and my mum's (the freesia).  Like us, they wouldn't make a coherent bouquet, but singly they are all rather special. Legris doesn't name the flowers in her verses and I've followed suit, hoping their identity is obvious from the description.  As an additional clue each verse begins with the first two letters of each flower. 


Dancing in the breeze, faces demurely lowered,
Pure unadulterated joy in a swathe of sunlit gold, 
A surge of hope, a hint at new beginnings, 
Each heart lifted with the promise of rebirth
Cutting through the bleak endings of winter with a smile.

Robust, requited love bathes their burgundy hearts,  
Petals of softest velvet clinched securely in a knot,
As tight as the bond binding this couple together, 
As quietly beautiful as the bride who clutches them, 
Passion burning brightly on this her special day. 

Fragile blooms funnel insects to their hidden hearts,
Led by the sweetest smells in the garden, in the vase. 
Innocent and trusting, guileless and pure,
Thoughtless gift of affection, a sense of being special, 
Their scent evokes sweet memories of a time so long ago.

© Copyright 2026. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved



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