Doris Lynch
Oh, Happy Life!
Early morning the mums start murmuring. They share their recipes for perfect colors: sunrise lavender, bicolored ruby, lightning-flash white. Whispering to each other, they mock the perfumed clueless, who lean in for a sniff and pollute their blossoms’ peppery scent. But they make allowances for the preschool set, until one feisty five-year-old grabs a fistful of flowers. My bob, my bob, the chrysanthemum barks. Yet, they love wind. Even the strongest gale does not scare them or decimate their jaunty looks. Unless it’s flood-worthy, rain means nothing to them. Some beg for days of it, believe its grey dullness enhances their glory. As cumuli shuffle in and temps drop precipitously, they question each other, “Will we last until Halloween this year? Praise the lord, Thanksgiving?”
cackle of acorns a solitary rosebush tightens its thorns
About the Author
Doris Lynch’s collections include Swimming to Alaska (Bottom Dog Press) and Meteor Hound, both published in 2023. She has won fellowships from the Alaska Council on the Arts, Indiana Arts Council, and the Chester H. Jones Foundation, and awards from the Poetry Society of America, Genjuan International Haibun Contest, and the Haiku Society of America Haibun Contest.