BEHOLD THEE, I, IN BEAUTY

 

  I don't know your name

     but,

  I love you.

  I don't need to make you anything,

     own you,

     or even take you anywhere --

  I just love you,

     as you are;

     so beautiful where you sit.

     The light shines through you in so many soft patterns . . .

  I look at you and smile.

  I sense more about you than just a pretty body.

     Your colors are so fine,

     and the way you hold yourself in an aesthetic tangle,

     does something to me.

 

     Flora friend,

  I love you.

  I don't know your name

     or what kind of plant

     you are.

     Or even, whether you came

     from a cutting or a seed.

     But you never asked about

     my mom or pop either...

     So,

  I guess I'll just

     let you sit there,

     glorious in earthenware,

     and say a quiet

  "I love you."

 

                                   26 Feb 79