The saying goes:
“No mud - no lotus!”
But I can’t help but notice
That the flower is long-stemmed,
Raising it high above the mud.
A tropical newbie,
I used to confuse
Lotuses & Water Lilies.
Then I learned the simplest
Way to distinguish the flowers
(From a distance)
Is that Lily pads
Rest on the water,
While Lotus leafs
Also try to rise
above the muddy water.
I can’t help but wonder whether
Our admiration has made the
Lotus too good for its mud?
The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble Sheep a threat’ning horn;
While the Lilly white shall in Love delight,
Nor a thorn, nor a threat, stain her beauty bright.
translucent hibiscus:
keeps its secrets
in its folds;
anywhere petals
don't double over,
the light shines through.
hanging face down --
pistil dangling --
pockets emptied by
gravity.
the jungle beyond blurs.
in an open field,
one sunflower towers,
its head drooping.
bloom-laden branch
stretches to reach beyond
the shadows... but no.
tight bud opens:
imperceptible struggle
to unpack beauty.
branches: bloom-laden
but devoid of leaves:
tropic confusion.
the red hibiscus
draws attention to itself,
while pointing downward.
a bloom falls to earth;
lit up by the morning sun,
it glows… for a time.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 