In Praise of Irises by Maria Giura

 

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.

First appeared in If We Still Lived Where I Was Born by Maria Giura (Bordighera Press November 4, 2025)

© Maria Giura

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Maria Giura

Maria Giura, PhD, is the author of two poetry collections published by Bordighera Press—If We Still Lived Where I Was Born (Nov. 2025) and What My Father Taught Me—and 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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