after the flood
black mold
blossomed.
ashes, like rain, settled and
dried, sooty streaks ―
tarnished tinsel on a fading tree.
beneath her gnarled bark
moldy fear and soggy disappointment grew ―
heart’s festering wounds.
until one lonely day
raw winds prevailed and swept away
black fear and tarnished dreams.
wounded no more, Redbud
lifted her limbs toward the sky
and yielded bitterness to spring.
after the gale
red buds
blossomed.
—
Janice F. Booth is a writer and educator. Her long-running garden column appears monthly. She authored Crofton: Images of America. Jan’s poetry is included in three anthologies; Still Singing: Six Women Poets, The Song In the Room: Six Women Poets, The Antioch Poetry Retreat: a Gathering of Poets, The Road Beneath Our Feet and periodicals, including S/He Speaks, photospecchio, Pendemic Journal, Silk Road Blog, HungerX, and the ESWA Bay to Ocean Journal (2023 & 2024).
