From Tampa, Vegas, Fort Worth & Fresno
the sisters write to Farmer's Almanac.
Sarah plants a butterfly bush
for the purple, nectar-rich splendor in a pot.
Hannah wants some pink extravagance
to beckon hummingbirds.
Nancy Jean raves about the arching shoots,
the spiky tresses. Sylvie says, 'Prune anytime!'
I study my ho-hum West LA backyard.
Not the best soil, but good drainage.
I read the warnings: grasshoppers will chew
the leaves to lace
& caterpillars will feast on whatever's left.
Then the spider mites.
Maybe I can learn from Tampa, Fort Worth
& Fresno, even if we don't agree on everything.
Black Night Harlequin Dwarf Blue.Evil Ways Lambs Ears Orange Wooly
Maybe we can agree on hummingbirds.
The balance of alkaline & acid.
--
Copyright 2020 Joan E. Bauer. A version of thispoem previously appeared in Poetry Leaves.
Yes, I am a member although my larger group of sisters revolves around milkweed.
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