Orchis

Orchis anatolica, galilaea,

Aascula, purpurea - these

Are a handful of my 1,300 names.

I begin as a rhizome in the soup

Of mud on the banks of wide rivers

In the dust of semi-desert, even

Among the dwarf shrubs, sedges,

And grasses of the tundra.

Then I rise as a stem that emerges

Into flower (yellow, red, purple)

On the steppes of Tibet,

On the sand ranges of Mongolia,

On the snowcaps and glaciers of Xinjiang.

How to care for me? That part

Is easy. Place me in a place

Of warmth. Water me only

When I look worn down.

Sing me songs. Caress

My petals. Tell me I am beautiful,

Oh so beautiful it breaks

Your heart.