A POEM FOR TODAY

POPPIES AT EASE

Poppies always seem poised, as if calmness

comes naturally to them.  They think

they're kings and queens, perhaps, or proper

lords and ladies looking graceful

and lovely at an elegant ball. They bring

stillness and self-control to a garden.

Seeing them stand in splendor and quietness

in winds and rain reminds you that you,

too, are majestic in secret ways. So many

new thoughts stand up in your mind

each day, a spectacle of prestige and honor,

like poppies at ease in Delycia's garden.