No leaf, no fern for company
nothing but the bright of this red
stands up to a dim that would engulf me.
Moving stands third on a list
of life-stressors, right after a loved one’s
death, and divorce.
Aren’t I too old for this? I’m quite as averse
to displacement as I am to other tectonic
forces: only two addresses in 25 years.
So I plucked the cellophane-wrapped
bunch of daisies from a pail
at the supermarket, brought them home
and placed them in the vase I hadn’t
packed yet. All week they dazzled
the table before the first one bent
its head, petals drooping, almost as though
sending forth a sigh, if store-bought
flowers could.
Scarlet gerbera
Annie Stenzel (she/her) is a lesbian poet who was born in Illinois, but did not stay put. Her second full-length collection, Don’t misplace the moon, was published in 2024 by Kelsay Books. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in print and online journals in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., including Action, Spectacle; Gavialidae; Pine Hills Review; Rust + Moth; Sheila-na-Gig; SoFloPoJo; SWWIM; St, Katherine’s Review; Thimble Lit Mag; and Whale Road Review. A poetry editor for the online journals Right Hand Pointing and West Trestle Review, she lives on unceded Ohlone land within walking distance of the San Francisco Bay.