Live Like A Winter Flowering Cherry
In the summer I’m unremarkable,
biding my time,
satisfied to let peonies and poppies take centre stage.
In autumn I begin to come into my own –
layering your lawn with
a daily tapestry of rust, orange, yellow.
When you’ve done clearing
and leaves lie only on your beds
to mulch against the cold
blossom spreads across my branches –
a filigree of black and pink
etched on chilly skies.
In the absence of snow,
my petals fall in flurries
covering your garden
in fragile flakes –
a scattering of light
glowing through the shortest days.