2007/freezing

Below freezing again.
The begonia probably won’t recover.
Fucshia, geraniums, potato bush,
all have been bit.
And the ficus, of course,
which always suffers,
each spring spent re-leafing,
despite my best efforts
to protect it with a sheet.
All over town yards are dotted
with sheets and blankets.
Things may die that
have never suffered before,
even the cyclamen who prefers the cold,
so much so that I give it ice water
when it’s hot.
Hard to imagine hot,
I have the L.L. Bean catalogue
open to a bright blue bathing suit.
French blue, it says.
A nice blue, and I don’t like blue.
I can’t yearn for summer,
I suffer then even worse,
and so do the plants.
Pots moved to the shady side
of the house.
Just as now they are tucked
against the exterior wall.
The ones I had time to move.
I know Californians aren’t allowed
to complain about the weather,
but I do anyway.
Cold is cold, hot’s hot.
Only the lavender and rosemary
seem able to endure both,
so I’ll stick to them
and be prepared to replace
my fucshia each year,
a plant I grow against
all good sense
because it is my favorite.
One of many.

1/15/07