MAGNOLIAS OF BELFAST

This is a poem that explores my Southern (Louisiana) and south of Ireland roots

It doesn't seem quite right!
Magnolias! An oddity set against
The somber tones of Victorian rouge:
This declaration -- this confederacy
Of cupped petal in taffeta white.
A whole South awhirl with the
Gracious bounty of antebellum days
Where men were held, forever duty-bound.
The rich luxuriance of the natural world
Encased, in its own account of beauty,
Emerging -- like mother-of-pearl,
And desires that it should never remain
A foreign outcast to these parts.
For I too, a son of the South
In more ways than one, am confused
And feign to grasp this subtle imagery --
To see magnolias in such profusion
Thrive, on some quiet street in Belfast.

May 2016