Contumacious


A lone pair of poppies
bloom in the dry wild
of summer drought.

Dust eats away at patches
of blue sky, yet the flowers
stand defiant valentines
in a sea of shriveling umber.

They are apples of Eve,
bold crimson painting
the arid landscape with survival.


©Susie Clevenger 2020


Comments

Sherry Blue Sky said…
I love their brave painting of the arid landscape with survival.
February 22, 2020 at 5:02 PM
Yvonne Osborne said…
"Apples of Eve". I like that. My mama loved poppies, especially the salmon colored ones. They stand out like no other.
February 22, 2020 at 5:02 PM
Rosemary Nissen-Wade said…
Wonderful to see them as such symbols of glorious defiance.
February 23, 2020 at 3:27 AM
Brendan said…
Life itself is a defiance, flourishing More in the vast emptiness of space -- and so deserving of our care and notice. Dunno about you, but sometimes a poem is the only bit of color I can find in my day. Thanks for coming by earthweal! - Brendan
February 23, 2020 at 3:34 AM
hedgewitch said…
Vivid and full of the satisfied awe that natural beauty alone can bring, I think. Sometimes less is more, and your brief but vital exposition on these two poppies speaks of finding hope in one of the most certain ways I know--by looking at all that survives in beauty.
February 23, 2020 at 10:53 AM
JIm Feeney said…
"in a sea of shrivelling umber"....great energy and heat in this line....and I agree with Joy, sometimes less is more...JIM
February 23, 2020 at 5:20 PM
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