Sonnet: To the Poppy

Anna Seward 1742 – 1809

While summer roses all their glory yield

To crown the votary of love and joy,

Misfortune’s victim hails, with many a sigh,

Thee, scarlet Poppy of the pathless field,

Gaudy, yet wild and lone; no leaf to shield

Thy flaccid vest that, as the gale blows high,

Flaps, and alternate folds around thy head.

So stands in the long grass a love-crazed maid,

Smiling aghast; while stream to every wind

Her garish ribbons, smeared with dust and rain;

But brain-sick visions cheat her tortured mind,

And bring false peace. Thus, lulling grief and pain,

Kind dreams oblivious from thy juice proceed,

Thou flimsy, showy, melancholy weed.

Mentioned in this episode:

Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem Only

Write After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.

#WriteAfterOPO