She planted marigolds
behind white plastic edging
carnival poms mugging for the sun
the scent of aged rubber
deflecting mosquitos
ignorant of white suburban ways
the DDT truck rolling up the lane
but they return each year
the marigolds, the mosquitos
thick as sweat in midwest July
as if winter never happened
flowers never beheaded,
insects never dropped dead
in ten days
She worked the patch of garden
kneeling before her blossoms
as if
English formal
Cape Cod nonchalance
Maui hothouse splendor
everything
she imagined marigolds
dreamed of being
Writing 