Kind of like Demeter - Robert Allen

California

summers’ dahlias

grow tall here

like corn in Ohio.

You can hear

them whisper

as they climb;

thick stalks

with impossible

petals that somehow

hang on, delicate.

Then fall

and winter comes and

sogs them and they

all die for a while

to the world.

Originally published by Kitchen Sink Magazine 2021

Robert Allen lives in Oakland, CA with his family, where he writes poems, and coaches poets to become better in their craft.  More at www.robertallenpoet.com.