The woman waters the beautiful
but
Poisonous plants, grown tall in
her
Twelve-year tenure, replacing the
Small picket fence which afforded
No privacy to the previous
owners,
No romance, one might say,
although
They were known to be a particularly
Harmonious couple with a golden
Harp in their picture window.
The present owner calls out to
me,
Holding the hose to the oleanders
For we are in a time of great
heat,
"Are you still writing?"
"Yes," I call back,
"Are you still breathing?"
Her oleander hedge grown so tall
and lush
Reminds me of an Indian woman
Reminds me of an Indian woman
Visiting California, who
questioned
Why we would have oleanders in
our yards,
This plant, so full of blooms,
From which in Delhi she has known
Despairing women to squeeze juice
enough
(The pink or white flowers are
quite moist)
To make a welcome drink.
[Poem written by Virginia McKinnon Mann in June of 1993. Photo credit: stoplamek on Flickr.]
I keep coming back to the phrase "Precious owners," and find myself unsure of what she was trying to convey. Is it meant directly or possibly sarcastically? The verbal exchange has an element of sarcasm in it, and the whole poem seems as though it may have been written during a time of dissatisfaction with life.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably a typo of "previous owners", since C and V are right next to each other on the keyboard, although I'm not sure if it's her typo or mine. I'll have to check.
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