by Madonna Wilt

Created on: March 26, 2010

Blue Planter

Store bought enamel,

A remnant of Ancient China frames

A child’s golden branches sprouting

Clumps of red cherry blossoms

Against a blue lacquered sky.

The planter looks out a window,

Bounded on either side,

By a hanging basket of ivy salvaged

From the old chestnut out back,

And a rusted can that cradles

A baby acorn sapling.

Soon a mighty oak will rise

To towering heights; he will climb.

The old red clay once boasted

A false bamboo.

The lady from the Chinese carry-out

That sold it advised

No dirt, just a bowl of water

And pebbles for support.

The pot of clay now coaxes

Life from an avocado pit.

He found it in a drawer,

Where he left it, split

Open to reveal

A green sliver struggling.

A poster waits in the hall closet

Offering advice on growing

Real bamboo

Someday.

The report of ancient China

Long since abandoned,

In favor of living roots.

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