Red, red, red curled almost in a ring,
crimson petals flip up
revealing 6 stamens dangling
from a yellow and freckled center.
Perfection, and the pollinators know
it’s the nectar queen of all wild lilies,
luring hummingbirds to feast in style.
Only a few scattered populations exist
along a narrow stretch of coast
from northern California to southern Oregon,
in swamps, bogs, sandy cliffs and coastal
spruce forests. Sometimes growing alongside
ts cousin, the tiger lily.
Invasion of trees and shrubs by fire suppression,
land development for cranberry farming,
or cattle ranches, road construction
snuffing out its habitat.
The western lily is shouting red,
bleeding red, red
translating into rescue me,
I want to live longer in my beauty.
—
Terri Glass lives near the Smith River in northern California. Her recent poetry books include Being Animal from Kelsay Books and a chapbook of haiku, Birds, Bees, Trees, Love, Hee Hee from Finishing Line Press and her poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies. She is a grant recipient of Upstate California Creative Corps in which she created a series of poetry wall hangings about the endangered wildlife of her region. This poem was one in the series.
