ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2018-01-17 03:05 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2018-01-17 03:05 pm
Poem: "The Determination of Tulips"
This is the second freebie for the January 2, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl, brought to you courtesy of new prompter teigh_corvus. It was inspired by a prompt from bairnsidhe and this spring picture.
"The Determination of Tulips"
determination
noun [ U ] /dɪˌtɜr•məˈneɪ•ʃən/
the ability to continue trying to do something, even if it is difficult
Tulips begin to grow in winter,
when the ground is still frozen,
forcing their sharp tips through
the wall of ice and earth.
They stretch upward,
because they believe in a sun
that still sleeps behind the clouds.
After all, seeing is believing, and
this magic happens every spring.
When they finally break free,
then it snows on them, and
the tulips bloom anyway.
They are unashamed of their colors,
bold lipstick reds and luscious butter yellows
a flamboyant display of life spattered all over
the stark white snow and the drab gray shadows.
They go right on doing their thing, no matter
how inhospitable the environment is or
how out of place they may look.
In all that you do, strive to display
the determination of tulips.
* * *
Notes:
determination
noun [ U ] /dɪˌtɜr•məˈneɪ•ʃən/
the ability to continue trying to do something, even if it is difficult
-- Cambridge Dictionary
Tulips are popular spring ephemerals. Some of the early-blooming tulips are frost-tolerant, but the later ones often are not. I have seen some tulips bloom through the snow like this, and others fall over dead when they haven't even put their buds up yet. If you want to see them do this trick, buy the earliest-flowering tulips you can find, preferably species tulips which tend to be tougher than modern hybrids.
teigh_corvus. It was inspired by a prompt from bairnsidhe and this spring picture. "The Determination of Tulips"
determination
noun [ U ] /dɪˌtɜr•məˈneɪ•ʃən/
the ability to continue trying to do something, even if it is difficult
Tulips begin to grow in winter,
when the ground is still frozen,
forcing their sharp tips through
the wall of ice and earth.
They stretch upward,
because they believe in a sun
that still sleeps behind the clouds.
After all, seeing is believing, and
this magic happens every spring.
When they finally break free,
then it snows on them, and
the tulips bloom anyway.
They are unashamed of their colors,
bold lipstick reds and luscious butter yellows
a flamboyant display of life spattered all over
the stark white snow and the drab gray shadows.
They go right on doing their thing, no matter
how inhospitable the environment is or
how out of place they may look.
In all that you do, strive to display
the determination of tulips.
* * *
Notes:
determination
noun [ U ] /dɪˌtɜr•məˈneɪ•ʃən/
the ability to continue trying to do something, even if it is difficult
-- Cambridge Dictionary
Tulips are popular spring ephemerals. Some of the early-blooming tulips are frost-tolerant, but the later ones often are not. I have seen some tulips bloom through the snow like this, and others fall over dead when they haven't even put their buds up yet. If you want to see them do this trick, buy the earliest-flowering tulips you can find, preferably species tulips which tend to be tougher than modern hybrids.