Monday, July 18, 2016

Illustré (acanthe)

Bear's breeches, sea dock,
bearsfoot, oyster plant...
The Greeks enjoyed
its decorative qualities
but, lacking in imagination,
named it after the thorns
rather than its frilled leaves.

What the Greeks couldn't tell us
is how sweetly it smells
and, as books point out,
although pollinated by bees
its seeds are anemochorous
meaning dispersed,
like the Greeks,
by the wind.

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