Wilt // Bloom

Even geraniums wilt in hard rain,

their salmon pedals prune and break

like molted plumage, pirouetting downward

to make the descent of their last end.

Even geranium stems buckle under heavy wet,

crook toward the Earth in prayer

that the clouds should part

so that light may offer a new beginning.

Even geraniums can weather a storm,

keep tenaciously rooted in a bed of soil

made sodden by the vigor of a squall.

Even geraniums soak in the vitality of their affliction

to straighten, rise, and bloom once again.