Route 7 Review
Issue # 2015
The hibiscus
in its basket
sits in sun-
flowers yawning
yellow tonsils showing-
its closed buds
nose the glass
beneath a cloistered sun
If I were
Georgia O’Keefe
immersed
in her flowers
I’d paint these
resplendent swirls
from slender pistils twirling-
Spanish dancers in the rain
The hibiscus
in its basket
gives up
its blossoms lightly
Through day
and moonful night
they open
fade then drop-
folded umbrellas by my door
Barbie McGaw is a retired teacher. She lives with her family in Freeland, at the southern edge of Michigan's northern forest. Her poems have found their way to the pages of literary publications across the U.S. In 2011, her poem "A Stone Heart," was the recipient of the Abbie Copps Prize for Poetry, sponsored by Olivet College.
BARBIE MCGAW
Hibiscus