Cow Parsley

 

Oh, you feather headed wild flower

with distinctive inflorescence

pink-tinged white clusters and fern-like leaves

a waving guard of honour along the park trails

I promise that after we turn for home,

the dog and I,

and follow the woodsy path

between ancient beech 

and newly planted oak

and pass the building site

where hoisting and hammering

have already begun

and greet the postwoman

parked at the street corner

in her silent new electric van

and maybe even retrieve some post

and after I have hung up the key

unleashed the dog and 

given her a treat,

a dental chew for her teeth,

and before I turn on the kettle 

for boiled water for a pot of tea,

I'm thinking Bewley's Assam Loose today,

I promise I'll look you up

in my Illustrated Irish Wildflower book

and find out your name.

Copyright 2022 Cathy Leonard All rights reserved