I r i s S o c i e t y o f A u s t i n
Poems by Dana Lovvorn
I. Pallida vs T. Rex
As children gaze
at dinosaur bones,
Why does no one tell
of the true ancient,
An elegant iris
in a nearby vase?
Dinosaurs had their
space of fame
We know this since
their bones remain.
What of irises, outlined
in hieroglyph
in an Egyptian tomb;
in a fresco at Knossos,
Later woven on Renaissance loom.
Fierce creatures, those reptiles
always to be admired,
But the beauty of the iris
is that it survives.
3-14-98
