October 5

[Hydrangea]

Heartfelt, thankfulness,
sorrow, frigidity–
the meanings are mixed
when it comes to these.

A few blue remain but
most petals are sea-green,
burnished at the tips
by a deep dusty pink.

The rains have returned
leeching acid from the soil,
the plant conveying
the state of its roots–

in neutral soil it could
say anything,  leaving one
to infer. Most now are
the consistency of brown

crepe paper and fall
with ease, melting into
the dew-damp walk.
Silence and space–

the most luxurious things.
On this morning cold air
fills the gaps left by branches
growing bare, the implication–

what we want
and what we don’t want,
all at once, inconsistency
the surest sign of life.