Peony 3, Full Bloom - Missoula, Montana

"...and all day

under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
...stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again—
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?..."

-from Peonies by Mary Oliver (b.1935)

Peony 2 - Missoula, Montana

"...they open—

pools of lace,

white and pink—

and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away

to their dark, underground cities..."

-from Peonies by Mary Oliver (b.1935)

Peony 1 - Missoula, Montana

"This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers..."

- from Peonies by Mary Oliver (b.1935)