What kind of blooms are these
which linger into early winter
survive so many nights
of freezing temperature
still thriving in their brilliant scarlet
above the mahogany flame
of a stained wood deck
the first time we’ve had this
variety in their hanging baskets
I see them through
the splintering louvers
of the wooden blinds
and wonder if they will
survive into another year
*
from out of the kitchen
I hear a scream
where Linda is thinly slicing
cucumbers with the mandolin
a bunch of begonias spraying
from the wound
frozen into physical blossoms
arranged with careful greenery
displayed against
the sheen of a pewter vase
a silvering of slippery ice.
Paul Ilechko is the author of “Post Moby” (Sheila-Na-Gig, 2026) and “Fragmentation and Volta” (Gnashing Teeth, 2025). His work has also appeared in many journals, including The Bennington Review, Bear Review, Atlanta Review, Permafrost, and Laurel Review. He reads for Marrow Magazine
which linger into early winter
survive so many nights
of freezing temperature
still thriving in their brilliant scarlet
above the mahogany flame
of a stained wood deck
the first time we’ve had this
variety in their hanging baskets
I see them through
the splintering louvers
of the wooden blinds
and wonder if they will
survive into another year
*
from out of the kitchen
I hear a scream
where Linda is thinly slicing
cucumbers with the mandolin
a bunch of begonias spraying
from the wound
frozen into physical blossoms
arranged with careful greenery
displayed against
the sheen of a pewter vase
a silvering of slippery ice.
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