One thinks of the polyanthus as a denizen of gardens, brightening flower beds and rockeries with its range of bold red and golden petals. Garfield Taylor uncovers it in the wild in this sample for his collection White Horses (The Book Guild Ltd).
A former banker, Mr Taylor lives in Scarborough, where the surrounding landscapes and seascapes, and their plants and birds, offer many of the themes of his gently engaging verses.
POLYANTHUS
Between two rocks
The Polyanthus grows,
Tucked in a crevice
By the waterfall.
Its dark green leaves
A parasol,
Rest upon the mossy stones
Absorbing light.
Deep down, its crown
Nestles in the overhang,
Keeping shade;
To sprout new shoots
And send down roots
Through niches and cracks
Where moisture clings
To adjacent rocks.
In Spring its flowers
Bloom red and amber,
Peeping from the stones
To catch the sun;
And Summer’s heat
Dries out the pods
Whose seeds spill out
Upon the grass below.
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