Garden of Corals

Sea Lavender 

Tossed

in salty wind,

left to drip

from a single stem.

Flung forth

on harsh sand,

spiced,

with fragrant stain.

The Riverbed

The lonely river bed rests

free from all flowing life,

but the crawling inmates

of its broken brook.

Its thick mosses lay shrouded;

their wiry stems with deep olive stain,

concealed by silver hazes,

a maze of feathery webs.

The Weed

Sticky leaves

with gaudy flower,

reach gnarled fingers

to choke poppy seeds

from coral petals.

Sunflower

Stark fringe

of acrid yellow,

spread wide.

Crowd of bright leaf

gathers,

in mint-coloured fields,

bristling

in sharp wind,

balanced

on single stems.

Water Mint

Lilac petals

cluster,

at the head

of a stooping stem,

too heavy to balance,

with flat, oval

leaves it is crushed

underfoot,

leaving behind,

peppermint stain.

The Sea Pea

Creeping low

amongst shingle;

harsh plain

for sea pea flowers,

with its coarse stem,

violet petal

savaged by salt,

sacrificed on the shore.