The Quiet Dance of the Night Garden

Forgotten

by the lovers of perky daytime flowers,

a plethora of hauntingly beautiful flora

bloom

within the quiet of the night

in

the most special

of

my

gardens.

The opening

of their ghostly pale petals

against the soft silvery leaves

portend the ritualistic coming of the moon.

Queen of the night sky;

the mysterious and beautiful moon

spreads her veil of soft luminescent light

silently towards my yard.

Like sylvan ghosts,

ethereal fingers of pale light

glide through the leafy canopy

of the ancient pepper tree,

calling out to her most hidden...

...her nocturnal floral subjects.

Sultry wisteria is the first to answer her call.

While the world is sunless and still,

donned heavily in the perfume she only wears

after dark,

wisteria gently climbs into the naked open arches of the pergola

to partake

in the slow dance

of night.

She laces slowly through slight gaps

and the occasional knot in my tired deck,

wrapping her taunt ringlets around the outstretched fingers of the sleepy trellis

within the heart of my backyard.

Tracing a drowsy, aromatic loop

over the rusted shovel

left forgotten

in the side yard.

Fragile clusters

of luminous lavender blossoms

begin to bloom

from an open bodice of tender leaves

and an ancient tangle of climbing earth-brown vines.

Beautiful in the extreme,

and much to the bitter dismay

of the sun,

wisteria does her best work

at night.

Unlike wisteria,
who shares her outer beauty with both the moon and the sun,
the luminous petals of her entourage
will never be visible
within the thunder and flurry
of daytime activity
which is slated
only
for the sassy and brightly-hued
flowers of the sun.

My moon garden's lovely blossoms
twinkle softly
within the presence
of
moonlight

lost within their own song,
until that time
when
their silky petals are enshrouded
by the morning dew.

Within that silvery veil of dawn
-- the exact moment between the last shadow of night and the first breath of day--
their fragile petals begin to fold protectively,
providing cover
as they fall asleep
unseen
within daytime hours

-- leaving wisteria lonely --

until at last,

at the beckoning of eventide,

the pale and fragrant petals

once again open in full bloom,

longing for the glow of moonlight

as they begin their nightly dance
beneath the wisteria
once again.