of jonquil

under the shade of my breast
a patch of cosmos grows

in longing, in widening
there is much space to fill

always towards the sun
affectionately returned

splitting into parallels
all things, as the day

winds down unevenly
through the fence

the tapping of your fingers
sun upon my shoulders

turns me around to face
another sundown

how you always reminded me
of jonquil


and on the day
jonquil jumped the fence

altogether of my ribs
plus one, before dying

before bursting at the ragged edges
of the alleyway

winding down
behind the widening universe

where the cosmos still grows
in lengthy parallels

under the shade of my breast
i was sure you would not suffer long

another gardener 

12March04