Squam Lakes

John Grey

Down in the ditch, white petals around green bud,
thin yellow stamens.
In swamp, purple and green spathe,
knob-like spadix.
Deep in the forest, large three-parted leaves,
shiny red clustered berries.
Sun sets on lily pond,
night rises in conifer,
the tallest pine stems the flowering moon.
Is this the world or merely the woodland edge
where deer feed nervously
like pioneers from deep in the universe?
Or is it the heart, glossy, succulent,
or the soul, dense and branching?
Up in the head,
blooms unfold, lanceolate, whorled.