NATURE Poem: June’s Song, by Ashley Patrice

After “Mock Orange” by Louis Gluck

It is not the sun, I tell you.
It’s these purple orchids
meditating along the verde pond.

I am in love with them.
Love like its petals
were sprinkled in my tea.
The orchid seeds ring
in my ears– signifying
life into my ovaries.

The sound of the pond,
running like the sound
of tea down my throat,
is the same. Resting
in my intestines–
the satisfied gasp
of a quenched thirst
leaves my lips. I lick
them– washing away
the remnants of turmeric
and ginger.

This is bliss. The herbs,
the florals, and the pool
in which they reside.