sidebells wintergreen facts
one-sided
Orthilia secunda
both parts of the binomial mean this
with a surety that can’t be misinterpreted
all the blooms are on the same side
yes, it is unbalanced
and that’s as it should be
just a fact
the weight of the unembarrassed stigmas
cascading down a single plane offsetting
the smooth airy lack of substance on the nonflowering side
you might look at it from every angle
twirl the stem between finger and thumb
look from above
peer from below
it’s inescapable
you can’t fabricate a symmetry that simply isn’t there
sometimes all you’re left with
is the real, dried, preserved truth
between your fingers
confirming that growth beauty fragrance
-all of these-
sometimes belong more to one side than the other
now what will you do –
say what you see?
or what you think they want said?
before you answer
I’ll make the root into an eyewash
and gently bathe your lids
until you say you can see clear
but I sense you need something more
here, lie down on this plush moss
and look up past a crowd of crowns
into the blue depth
where cloud effortlessly becomes fog becomes air
at precisely expected intervals
(this happens every day)
now put one hand on this lichened log
and the other on your trembling heart
and talk to me
about sidebells wintergreen’s
chestnut brown pumpkin-shaped corollas (when dry)
that hold a hint of woody scent
like star anise
or cinnamon.
how you expect to hear them tinkle when you shake the stem
and now, when you’ve settled in
to telling the sometimes single-sided truth
let’s talk about whether
our children should walk into their schools
this plagued fall
