Dahlias

thank you

old souls

for dahlia lore for

how to fork them out

late autumn before deep frost

brushing away clinging soil

cutting wilted leaves and stalks

washing drying hanging tubers

in burlap in a blanket of dusty peat

in a cool place for cold months

burying them again

in middle spring

waiting to mulch

for purple-green sprouts to peer up

in high summer to behold touch cut

simple or extravagant flowers

for a jar or for a vase

this is transformation

of sunlight into petals

a bounty to share

with good neighbors

a gift for an old friend

a garden prayer to the one

you have for a long while loved

secrets that glow nourishment

that follows hard work

green wisdom

not giving up