October Lily

October Lily

October lily, on the stalk,

What would you say if you could talk?

Perhaps you’d offer to explain

Why you are blooming by the walk?

The other lilies had their reign

Beneath the spring and summer rain,

But there you are—so orange and bright—

As sun and warmth begin to wane.

It isn’t wrong—nor is it right—

That you are here—the strangest sight.

It’s just a sign of nature’s might:

Before the dark—a buoyant light.

 

I heard he wanted to aggress—

Which would have caused an awful mess—

And so to ease my pure distress,

I showed up in a wedding dress,

And, laughing, he proposed some chess,

Which made some sense … but I digress …

Shakespeare Couplet

Out in the street, his friends find Romeo.

The Nurse arrives—a message for our beau. (2.4)