i)
Lettuce will climb for the sun, like a petaled beast,
silently emerging.
ii)
Chrysanthemum is derived from chrysos,
meaning gold and anthos, meaning flower,
meaning demon chaser.
iii)
Vinegar
will preserve anything, even nasturtiums,
like a rawhide sunrise.
iv)
Earthworms prefer to avoid the catacombs,
unruly in the shadows.
v)
Oregano becomes loamy with neglect,
touched by the underside of forgetfulness.
KENDRA MILLS lives in Paris and Massachusetts. She is a recipient of the Elisa Brickner Poetry Prize and her poems can also be found in Moria Literary Magazine, Delicate Friend, Version 9, Oyster River Pages, and the Flagler Review.