develops and protects
infant stigma and style
ovary and ovules

gestates
beauty

continuity
diversity





until the garden is readied
with rain and warmth

all is kept safe
bound within





but anther and filament
must be given reach

be allowed to broadcast
upon breeze and wave
if bird, bee, and butterfly
are to be fed and sustained

petals must be granted space to bloom
the mothering bud softened and expanded
if nature is to persist

a closed state
is the death of life

allow the flower to open

***