Peony Piety

           Peony Piety

Modern poetry  modern verse  contemporary poetry  contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

A proper reverence for petals should

Be kept, especially for pink and white

Ones, peonies. Perhaps a veil-like hood

Should be required for viewing these, a rite

For venerating blooms required.  A priest

Might ring a rose quartz chime.  Small grails (white gold)

Could be deployed in rituals the east

Might forge, stick incense for white smoke be sold

Outside the temples where a samurai

Would take his armor off before he prayed

Before bouquets of white and pink, “Banzai!”

His paean as he set off to invade.

..The Vatican beatifying them

….Might stick in holy water each green stem.