Italian strawflower

Intense fragrance
           of the immortelle
clusters of yellow flowers
           that retain their aroma
-reminiscent of wormwood-
           long after picking
Life in all its glory
           beauty in every detail
an inflorescence
           that never dies

What it has taught us
           is that to be alive is good
that to practise virtue
           on behalf of others
beatifies our breath
           that hands are instruments
of the heart
           that love is a call to action
and that through us
           the voice moves words
to express compassion
           and tenderness

John Lyons