Waxy white flower
softly starched
petaled and layered
rose-like but with different skills
loved or hated
there’s no in-between
fragrant
pungent
cloying
strong
the smell of summer nights
in heavy heat,
a light sheen of sweat
and twingey floral in the firefly light,
or of a woman’s warm and pulsing throat
in wrapping black and velvet at the theater,
brightlight radiance and excitement of the night
release the sharpened sweet; it wafts
full sun
acid soil
feeding on fertility
I hate perfume, on whole,
but love the sweet-tea South
and the catch in the nose,
the fishhook scent
that only one flower can make
The internet tells me gardenia is coffee’s cousin,
and the allure becomes so clear.
This post is a blend of the A to Z Blog Challenge and NaPoWriMo. To read other A to Z bloggers, click here. Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt was to find a flower and versify in its honor.
Pushing the Bruise 
Beautiful. Your poetry always draws me in!
Wow, thank you. That was kind.
Beautiful!
Love
“Waxy white flower
softly starched”
and
“Rose-like but with different skills”
Thank you! I like knowing which lines or images resonate with readers. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.
It’s fragrance reaches me here – thank you for this.
Love that smell. Thanks for commenting.
That last line! And “rose-like but with different skills.” Oh, never mind. I love all of it.
Isn’t that weirdest tidbit of knowledge? Thanks for the specific feedback; I was excited when that line came. 🙂
What Debbie said. I love all of it. Isn’t it about time you entered a contest or something? You know you want to.
Well, thank you! And yes, I’m considering some contests and magazines…and thanks for suggestion (nudge). 🙂
I learned something new today. I never knew that the gardenia is the cousin of coffee. I love the fragrance of gardenias a bit more than coffee, but I love the taste of coffee since gardenias are not edible, or that I know of anyway.