I r i s S o c i e t y o f A u s t i n
The Ugly Duckling
An ugly crinkly critter
this rhizome struck in the soil.
New avid lovers of iris
look askance at its unlovely root.
All winter long it sits
short straw ribbons stiff in the breeze.
In spring green fans appear slowly,
never swiftly, to the eager eye.
Buds emerge, then unfurl,
on a graceful sturdy stem.
An elegant stately creature,
nature’s exquisite rooted swan.
An Iris Well-Named
Opening in light
Mystique more suits the night.
Placed in a vase of crystal
Beside a lace-dreped sill,
Its shadows curve and call
subtly along standard and fall.
From lilac to deep violet
ruffles of color seduce the intellect.
Scent of a single bloom
softly haunts a room.
Born of the light,
Mystique is a provocateur
of the night.
9-15-90
An ugly crinkly critter
this rhizome struck in the soil.
New avid lovers of iris
look askance at its unlovely root.
All winter long it sits
short straw ribbons stiff in the breeze.
In spring green fans appear slowly,
never swiftly, to the eager eye.
Buds emerge, then unfurl,
on a graceful sturdy stem.
An elegant stately creature,
nature’s exquisite rooted swan.
An Iris Well-Named
Opening in light
Mystique more suits the night.
Placed in a vase of crystal
Beside a lace-dreped sill,
Its shadows curve and call
subtly along standard and fall.
From lilac to deep violet
ruffles of color seduce the intellect.
Scent of a single bloom
softly haunts a room.
Born of the light,
Mystique is a provocateur
of the night.
9-15-90
Poems by Dana Lovvorn
