by Susan L. Lipson
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I add to the seeds of my ideas
inspirational flow,
figurative fertilizer for nurturing full color,
and empowering light after germination.
And then I weed,
ripping out random growths
that strangle their laconic beauty,
detract from their tones,
cover their distinctive petals and leaves,
and clutter their well-aligned lines
with verbose foliage.
I try to resist clipping a bloom
or forming a bouquet to share
until each flower's growth has peaked,
to avoid publishing prematurely harvested blooms,
which will wilt in the shadows of disappointment.
In verbal vases
I present the bounty,
hoping that you see Beauty and Truth.