False garlic, Nothoscordum bivalve. Photo by Eric in SF.
Kick your spurs
deep into winter's hide.
Gulp rainwater, splay your blades,
stabbing green into the black earth.
Claw through soft soil for the sun,
sky the color of a dishrag.
Nod white petals in summer,
shade blonde pistils
from the blistering light.
Flounce your beauty,
flirting through anodyne petticoats
that mask your ballistic blueprint.
Swell your bulbs deep,
masked in papery brown,
studded with seeds: cluster bombs
cocked to burst if they dig you up.
They'll have to savage the soil for years
before they can forget you.