Trout Lily

This entry is part 19 of 29 in the series Wildflower Poems

 

Trout Lily by Jennifer Schlick
Trout Lily by Jennifer Schlick (click to see larger)

Erythronium americanum

How did
this trout
escape
the stream?
It’s not only
the leaves—
ichthyomorphic
& mottled,
glossy as fins—
but the salmon-
colored stem’s
leap
& arc,
& the way it falls
with a sun-
bright splash.

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2 Replies to “Trout Lily”

    1. Well, it was either ichthyomorphic or pisciform — both cool words, but the former has resonances with archaeology and mythology, plus it sounds better to my ear.

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