Monday, December 29, 2025

In Praise of Irises by Maria Giura

 

Image / Daphne L

In Praise of Irises

Named after the Greek goddess 

who carried messages from heaven to earth 

on the arc of a rainbow, 

their long stems flourished in our yard, 

lining the path to our stoop and front door.

Each May they seemed to spring suddenly. 

One day none,  

the next a whole chorus 

of violet singing  

as we came and went,  

as we posed for graduations, sacraments.  

So many of them, my mother 

cut and blanketed them like babies 

for the Blessed Mother.

They kept me company as I roller-skated, 

as I watched my older sisters go off 

to do things I wasn’t allowed to do,

as I played hide and seek with my younger.

This spring so many decades later,

I’m surprised again

when I see the first one— 

so luxurious I have to get 

down on the ground

to confirm it’s not velvet 

sprung from the earth.

© Maria Giura

Maria Giura

Maria Giura, PhD, is the author of two poetry collections published by Bordighera PressIf We Still Lived Where I Was Born (Nov. 2025) and What My Father Taught Meand a memoir, Celibate (Apprentice House Press). An Academy of American Poets winner, Giura teaches writing workshops for Casa Belvedere Cultural Foundation; instagram.com/mariagiurawrites/facebook.com/maria.giura.3975  mariagiura.com






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In Praise of Irises by Maria Giura

  Image / Daphne L In Praise of Irises Named after the Greek goddess  who carried messages from heaven to earth  on the arc of a rainbow,  t...