Flowers, John Lyons (oil on wood)
Dagwood dogwood
whipple-tree
these are but names
conferred over time
We know it by its fruit
by its berries
by its blossom
by its simple
untoothed leaves
The larvae of butterflies
and the engrailed
and emperor moths
feed on it
quail devour its red seeds
a tea made from its bark
can treat pain and fevers
From dogwood
to dogberries
to skull tree
these are but words
fit for poetry
John Lyons
With green smooth-sided
oval leaves with curving veins
that turn crimson in autumn
A hermaphrodite
its flowers encompass
the female and the male
Small flowers with creamy white petals
that grow in clusters
Pollinated by insects
the flowers develop
small black berries
dogberries
In Victorian times
a sprig of dogwood
could determine the fortunes
of the suitor— if she declined
to accept it he was doomed :
please accept mine
John Lyons
johnjosephlyons 