Thursday, August 2, 2012

Queen Anne's Lace

It is that time of summer when the waysides are tangled with some of my favorite wildflowers. I am distracted by them. I slow traffic and nearly drive off the road into ditches. In my humble opinion, no formal gardens can outshine these weedy wonders.


Portrait by a Neighbor
Queen Anne's lace


Before she has her floor swept

Or her dishes done,
Any day you’ll find her

A-sunning in the sun!

It’s long after midnight

Her key’s in the lock,

And you never see her chimney smoke

Till past ten o’clock!

She digs in her garden

With a shovel and a spoon,
She weeds her lazy lettuce

By the light of the moon.

She walks up the walk

Like a woman in a dream,

She forgets she borrowed butter

And pays you back cream!

Her lawn looks like a meadow,
And if she mows the place,
She leaves the clover standing

And the Queen Anne’s lace!

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay ~




Someone Nibbish
blue-eyed chicory and Queen Anne's lace

She sweeps in her pajamas
Writes stories while in bed
Eats apple pie for breakfast
Before the household’s fed!

The sun is shining brightly,
She lingers in the house,
But when the rain is falling
She skips out for a douse!

When you stop to borrow sugar
She invites you in for tea,
Serves tasty little nibbles
Then chatters endlessly…

Smiles mildly at the roses
You brought her for the vase
Then swoons at blue-eyed chicory
And at the Queen Anne’s lace!

~ Nib of Nib's End ~                

2 comments:

  1. Oh very nicely done, and a hint of John Betjeman's poetic style in the evocative simplicity as well.

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  2. Dare I say it? I love your verse much more than Edna's.

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